Dreams of the planet
by ironyoshi
Summary: My very own take on the story of Chrono Cross. Novelization. please RR
1. Chapter 1

**Dreams of the planet**

A chrono cross novelization

By Silveryoshi

**Prologue**

Lizard rock, Home world, 1006 A.D.

A bright sun was shining in the azur sky over the El Nido Archipelago. A young boy with dark blue hair was running through the trees, rocks and streams of the small forest known as Lizard rock. Upon hearing a brustling in the nearby bushes, the boy came to a halt. He slowly approached his hand from the bushes.

"I know you're here Devan." He said, pushing some of the leaves aside.

Shocked to see that what was lurking in these bushes was not what he expected, the child quickly took a step back. A huge panther-demon had its yellow eyes fixed on him. The boy just had time to shield his face, but his right arm sustained a deep wound. The demon landed a few feet away and was readying for another strike when a fireball hit it square in the jaw. The demon quickly withdrew and disappeared behind the bushes it came out. A man with hair of the same color as the kid came running and kneeled next to him. The boy was clutching his injured arm while gritting his teeth from the pain. The man slowly took the kid's arm to examine the wound. He took the boy in his arms and hurried away.

The kid was now lying in bed with several people around him. The man with blue hair was kneeling next to the bed along with a woman with brown hair.

"The chief is coming." spoke a voice.

A very old man with a long beard holding a cane in his right hand entered the house and slowly kneeled next to the bed. He placed a necklace with bright beads of different colors on the sheets. The chief placed closed his eyes and grabbed the necklace with one hand. A green light briefly engulfed the kid and faded. One of the beads had lost its glow, but the wound was still open and infected. Several minutes later, all of the beads had lost their glow. The old man got up and turned to the people standing there.

"I'm afraid this is above my healing skills." The chief said in a low voice.

"But we can't just let him die." said the man with blue hair.

"I know, Wazuki. There might be someone who could cure him." answered the chief.

"Who?" he demanded.

"The sage of Marbule."

"But don't the demihumans of Marbule loath humans?" asked the woman with brown hair.

"I'm afraid they do, but it's our only chance, Marge. We have to try."

Wazuki wrapped his son in a blanket and took him in his arms.

"I'm going to Marbule." he said.

"I'm coming with you." said a man with glasses and long brown hair tied in a ponytail.

"Thank you Miguel." Said Wazuki, nodding.

A few minutes later, all the villagers were standing on the shore watching as the two sailors were getting ready to set sail. The two men men kissed their wives goodbye and Wazuki took his son from Marge's arms. The two men got on board and set off.

Several minutes later, dark clouds began to form in the sky. Being experienced sailors, none of the two was really scared of this. Bolts of lightning were tearing the sky apart and great waves were brutally shaking down the small boat.

"Look out!" screamed Wazuki, pointing to the waterspout that had just formed ahead.

"The wind is steering us straight into it!"

Grunting, Miguel was trying to steer the boat away from the monster. Seeing this, Wazuki laid his son on the floor and placed one of his legs strongly against him to make sure he wouldn't fall overboard and pulled with all his might on the rudder to help the other man. The wood creaked loudly, but the boat changed his direction and began heading away from the spout. At this moment, a particularly strong wave hit the boat and Wazuki was taken off balance. His head hit the mast and he collapsed.

"Wazuki! Get up, man! You've got to get up!" screamed Miguel.

Wazuki was lying motionless on the wooden planks. Seeing this, Miguel grabbed the boy and covered him in a blanket. He took the kid near him and buried his head his knees, praying that they would make it alive.

Several hours later, Miguel was woken up by a grunt of pain. Wazuki got up to his knees and pressed his hand against his head.

"What happened? Asked Wazuki.

Miguel handed him his son and explained him what had happened. He looked around with a confused expression on his face.

"Where do you think we are?" asked Miguel.

Wazuki opened a bag and produced a telescope. A brought it to his eyes and surveyed their surroundings.

"That storm sure had us drift far away from Marbule. In fact, I can't recognise anything."

"D'you think we're still in the archipelago?"

"Of course! We can't have drifted as far as the Zenan sea."

"Look! A building!" called Wazuki, handing his friend the telescope.

Miguel grabbed it and took a moment to observe the strange looking building. The two men then steered their boat toward a small island covered by lush vegetation. They docked their boat and got off board. It took them a few minutes to reach the entrance of the building.

"I-I don't think we should be here." Said Miguel in a nervous voice.

"Well, we're here, so we'll have to go in." answered Wazuki.

They proceeded inside and found themselves in a very strange looking environment. Everything was made of metal and glass. In was rather stern and seemed to be uninhabited.

"Do you think this is…the future?" Miguel asked in an awed voice.

"I don't think so. Storms don't make you travel through time."

"Welcome. Please step on the platform in front of you." Said a voice.

Both men were taken aback.

"Who are you?" asked Wazuki.

The voice only repeated its statement. Wazuki thought for a moment and decided he didn't really had much of a choice. He carefully stepped on the platform. A red beam of light hit the boy and the voice spoke again: "DNA analysis complete. Toxin detected. Preparing for purification. Wazuki was looking around to see where the voice was coming from when another beam of light hit the boy.

"Elimination of the toxin complete. Full process about to begin." Please stay on the platform" Said the voice.

The platform began to rise. Panicked, Wazuki began screaming for Miguel, but his friend was nowhere to be seen. Wazuki soon found himself in a dark room. Suddenly, lights appeared in front of him and several jets of light hit the boy. Electronic noises were heard and the voice spoke again: "Process complete. Please remain on the platform."

The platform lowered and Wazuki quickly got off and ran to the exit.

"Miguel! Miguel! Where are you Miguel?" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

There was no answer. He continued to his boat calling for his friend. On the boat, he found a note nailed to the mast. He grabbed it and began reading.

My dear Wazuki,

I'm verey afraid I will never be able to return to Arni with you. Don't worry about Serge, he will be just fine. Do not worry about me, I'm not harmed. Please tell my wife and children that I love them deeply.

Your trusty friend,

Miguel

Wazuki screamed for his friend again, but he had to face it: Miguel would not come back with him. His heart filled with sadness, Wazuki left the island, abandoning his best friend. He would never forgive himself for what happened that day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1 : strange dream**

Arni village, home world, 1020 A.D.

The sun had risen several hours ago upon the small fishing village of Arni. In his bed, Serge was twisting uncomfortably. He woke abruptly and sat up in his bed. His heart was beating furiously and images were flashing rapidly in his mind. A gigantic building, a girl with blonde hair tied-up in a ponytail and dressed in a short red skirt and jacket and white shirt. A strange faerie-like creature… and blood. It was dripping from the dagger he held in his right hand to his forearm and to the floor.

"That's got to be the weirdest dream I ever had." he muttered to himself. "But she was hot though."

However, it was all more like a nightmare. Serge pushed the covers aside and got up. He pulled on a black shirt and navy shorts. He also put on his red bandana and shoes and left his bedroom. In the kitchen, he met his mom.

"Ah, you're finally awake, sleepy head." she said in a soft voice.

Serge mumbled something under his breath that sounded like: 'morning.

"By the way, Leena dropped by to see if you were awake, but since you were still snoring loudly, she left for the pier." she added.

"Got it." Serge said lazily while fumbling in the cupboards for something to eat for breakfast.

"There's some bread and jam in the cupboard to your left. I'll be leaving for work now." she said.

"What?" Serge said, startled.

Remembering the hour at which his mom usually left for work, he quickly glanced at the clock and saw that it was indicating one hour p.m.

"Oh shit", he exclaimed, before grabbing some slices of bread and quickly pouring some jam on them. He hurried away trying his best not to choke himself while running and eating at the same time.

When he got to the pier, he spotted Leena and went toward her

"Hey, Leena!" He called to her.

"Well, well, if it isn't mr. sorry-I-overslept-for-the-millionth-time-even-if-I-promised-

not-to." She said in a mocking tone.

"Oh, come on, you know I don't make it on purpose…"

"Yeah, sure, so that's why you were still at Bertha's by 3 a.m. this morning talking about that magical dreamers concert coming up and drooling over the poster of that dancer with Devan and Stanley?"

"What the?..." His voice trailed off.

"Your mom told me when I came this morning. Why don't you just get over it. None of us is going to see the magical dreamers' concerts anymore now."

_Damn, man, why do women always team up against men to make us feel ashamed of ourselves?_

"Look, don't get mad. We can still go fetch those scales for your necklace."

"I'm afraid that _we_ can't go get the scales Serge. Since you weren't showing up, I was asked to baby sit the kids, so I'm stuck here for the rest of the afternoon."

She turned to the kids who were swimming and put her hands to her hips. Serge sighed and looked to the ground.

"I'm sorry. I'll go get those scales and then, maybe we could meet at Opassa beach."

Leena slowly turned around and gave him a weak smile.

"It's ok Serge. I wasn't mad at you… well, maybe a little, but it's ok. I'll meet you at Opassa beach.

Serge just smiled and walked away. Suddenly, his stomach gave a loud gurgling sound.

_Geez, man…Arguing with Leena sure gets one hungry. _

He headed for Bertha's to get a real meal before going hunting. He went to the counter to order some fried fish and then spotted the old Sam staring at the poster of Miki. He went to him.

"Hey, Sam! How are you doing?"

"Oh, just fine, m'boy, just fine." He said, returning his gaze to the dancer.

"Look at her, isn't she gorgeous, boy? I can't wait to see those jiggle at the concert… ahem, her arms of course!" he corrected himself as he saw his wife coming over to serve Serge his fish.

"Oh, for crying out lout!" Bertha said in a pissed off voice. "Men are all animals. A tight outfit showing some skin is all it takes to make them lose it!"

She went back to the counter shaking her head disapprovingly. Sam stared at her for a moment and turned to Serge.

"As long as there'll be pretty women in this world, I'll be smiling, boy." He said, winking.

Serge smiled back. Finishing his fish, he went to the counter to leave some money before heading home to pick up his swallow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2: The Call**

Viper manor, another world, 1020 A.D.

The steps of a man echoed through the red-carpeted hallways of Viper manor. The residence of the leader of El Nido was a sumptuous mansion made of five floors and richly decorated with statues and portraits of great warriors and leaders of the past. The emblem of the Viper family, a snake, had been carved everywhere. The man had long purple hair and wore a white outfit decorated with patches of green, yellow and red. On his waist was a large black belt. The stopped at a door decorated with a golden snake and knocked.

"Come in!" answered a warm and cheerful voice.

Inside the office stood two people. One was a very tall man in his late fifties with a white beard and was completely bald. He was showing a proud smile. He wore a long black cloak with matching pants. He had broad shoulders and his large hands were protected by brown leather gloves. The other one wasn't exactly human. He was also very tall, but had feline features and had sharp-clawed paws for hands. He also wore a long black cloak and matching pants.

"Ah, Karsh! Make yourself comfortable." He said, gesturing to a chair.

Karsh sat, rested his elbows on the armrests and his left foot on his right knee and looked at the white-bearded giant.

"My dear Karsh, I have a very important mission for you." He said, still smiling.

"And what is it?" he asked, rather coldly.

The man in black turned to the demi-human, raising his eyebrows, and back to Karsh. The feline-looking creature took a step forward and bent down to place his knuckles on the desk that separated them. They both stared at each other coldly before the demi-human began speaking:

"The one to lead us has revealed himself. You will find him by sunset at the summit of Cape Howl. Go to him, but be prepared for a fight."

So, still trying to capture that ghost?" Karsh asked coldly.

"I'm afraid you can't grasp the importance of that mission, can you? The demi-human asked in a condescending voice.

Karsh turned his gaze to the general, his cold expression disappearing.

"My orders are that you do exactly as he said." Spoke the general.

"Very well then, my lord."

Karsh got up and turned his back.

"I suggest that you bring at least two good men, this ghost is stronger than you might think." Suggested the demi-human.

Karsh stopped for a second and exited the room.

_That freak of a Lynx will have us all killed one way or another. I can't believe the general is buying into all this crap of flames that grant wishes. Who the hell does he think he his, telling me how to do my job. If those weren't the general's orders, I'd hang him to the highest branch of the Viper oak by the tail._

"Hello Karsh." Spoke a soft voice.

Karsh quickly snapped out of his thoughts.

"Good day, my lady. How are you toaday?" he asked, only mildly interested.

"Very well, thank you. Are you leaving for duty?"

"Yes, I have orders from the general. I bid you goodbye, lady Riddell."

He then continued on his way, leaving the black-haired woman standing alone in the hallway until she decided to go her own way. She then came face to face with a young man with brown hair, blue eyes and a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.

"Oh, Glenn. I was looking for you. Do you have a moment?"

"Uh?-I-Yes, of course, my lady."

"Oh, please, Glenn, how many times have I told you not to call me lady or miss?" she said in a soft voice.

"I don't know, I'm afraid I've lost the count." He said, sheepishly.

"Oh, it's ok, Glenn."

"So, um, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. You know, tomorrow's the grand opening of Viper festival and I was wondering if you would like to escort me to Termina for the day… If you're not too busy, of course."

"Of course, I'd be delighted, lady… sorry, Riddel."

"That's great. I'll be ready by 9 o'clock, next morning. We'll meet at the manor gates. Is this alright with you?"

"Yes, of course, that's perfect. I'll be there."

"Wonderful. Well, I guess, I'll be going back to my room, now."

She slowly turned back and headed to her room on the uppermost floor. Glenn continued on his way and went downstairs to the dragoon's quarters. He went to his bead and plopped himself on his bed. Turning his head to the side, he caught side of the picture of a man that looked very much like him.

_Why did you have to leave us big bro? If there's someone who could have settled things right, it's you._

In fact, Glenn wondered sometimes if his brother's departure wasn't the cause of all this fuss in itself. Things were so perfect when he was still alive, when they were all gathered together. Riddell was looking forward to a happy wedding, Karsh didn't bore a bitter and cold expression all the time, the general's smile hid happiness and pride instead of greed and a lust for power. Even the general mood of the dragoons was much better. Riddell permanent sadness was probably what was troubling him the most. She was always trying so hard not to look sad, but somehow, it always showed through her eyes. Glenn soon drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Lizard rock, home world, 1020 A.D.

Lizard rock was considered by many as the playground of every kid in Arni. It consisted of very ancient rock formations eroded by millions of years of water contact. Several small rivers were flowing through the many paths that were named after their most famous inhabitant: the Komodo dragon, a giant lizard that spent most of its days bathing in the sun. Among other inhabitants were the only creatures lazier that a grown-up Komodo dragon, a blue biped web-footed animal called a beach bum and naughty blue lizards called sandsquirts. Their name came from their naughty habit of squirting jets of water at everybody they crossed.

Blue barnacles grew on every rock as well as a totally unique type of red coral. Tall green plants that resembled palm-trees also grew in Lizard rock. They had massive green trunks and the leaves that grew on their top were long and narrow. Brightly colored fish swam in every river.

Serge was carefully climbing a rock in silence, making sure the komodo pup below wouldn't hear him and run away. When the pup was just below him, he jumped down and tackled the young lizard. He pulled out a knife and plucked the rainbow scale from the pup's forehead. Finally, the pup was able to escape without getting injured. Serge, on the other hand, had sustained many scratches and cuts from the lizards' sharp claws.

His task finally over, Serge looking at the scales that were gleaming brightly in the sun. A loud roar was then heard. Serge spun around to see an enormous lizard walking toward him.

_Uh oh… Looks like mommy doesn't enjoy seeing me bully her babies._

Serge knew he had no chance of winning against the massive creature with only his swallow. However, he didn't have just his swallow. On the stick, bright gems were shining. Serge focused his thoughts for a moment and one of the red gems lost its glow. A big fireball was directed straight to the lizard. Though it didn't do much damage to the thick-hided lizard, the creature, like many others, was scared by fire and instinctively retreated.

_Don't bully the bully._

Having finished his task, Serge headed toward Opassa beach to wait for Leena. He sat on the sand to enjoy the warmth. After several minutes, Leena showed up.

"There you are!" she said "I hope you didn't wait too long. I just wanted to give you a lesson about making people wait for you."

"Nah, it's alright, I guess I sorta deserved that one."

"So, did you get the scales?"

Serge produced the 3 scales from his pocket and handed them to her. Leena took a moment to stare at them.

"Oh, Serge, they're beautiful, thank you! They'll make a great necklace!"

"Glad you like them." He said, before sitting back on the sand.

Leena stood still for a moment and decided to sit down with Serge, resting her chin on her knees. Both were silent for a moment.

"The sea never changes, does it? It's been rolling in and out like that for an eternity and will probably continue to do so forever."

"I remember the last time we were together. It's sure been a while." He said, turning to Leena.

"Really? Do you also remember the promise you made me that day?"

"Yea, I think. I said that if I was ever to leave to explore the mainland, I'd take you with me and we'd come back together." He said, returning his gaze to the sea.

"Yeah, it's sort of funny that we both remember that day after so long, isn't it? You know, sometimes I wonder who I'd be telling all these things if you weren't here anymore."

"Probably to the sea, like that old woman who lives all alone on an island near Marauder's bay."

"I guess she must be really lonely. Um, Serge, there's something I've been meaning to…"

_Serge…Serge…_

The teenager began turning his head from side to side to see where the voice was coming from, but saw no one.

"Serge, are you alright?"

"Uh? Yeah, I just thought I heard someone or something."

But then he heard another sound, a much more powerful sound. The sound of a tidal wave headed straight for him. He rose up and then an excruciating pain shot through his head. He fell to knees, pressing his palms to his temples. He looked up briefly, just to see the wave hit him full force before collapsing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3: Another Arni**

Opassa beach, another world, 1020 A.D.

When Serge woke up, he was lying face down on the sand. He forced himself up and spotted his swallow. It was lying on the sand, just like the very first time he saw it. He grabbed it and saw old Sam walking toward him.

"Hey, Sam! Have you seen Leena?"

"Hm? Are you a friend of Leena?"

"Well, of course, where is she?" he asked, thinking the old man was just teasing him like he had done so many times in the past.

"I believe she's on the pier. Oh, by the way, you really shouldn't sleep on the beach like that, it's really not careful."

Smirking, Serge set off to the pier to find Leena and maybe get an explanation as to what had just happened. When he had finally made it back to Arni, he stopped for a moment to take a look around. Something just wasn't right. Serge shook his head, thinking he must just be tired or something. He walked on the wooden planks of the pier until he was a few feet away from her.

"Hey, Leena!"

"Um, do I… know you?" she asked in a slightly distrustful voice, narrowing her eyes.

Serge chuckled.

"Well, yeah, you know me, I'm Serge."

"I don't know who you are, sir, but your little game is truly pathetic! Leave me alone, now!" she said in a angry voice, walking away from him.

"Leena, wait! What's wrong? What did I do?" he asked, raising his arms in despair.

"What did you do, you ask? You're making fun of the memory of a little boy, and I don't think this is funny at all!" she screamed, refraining a tear from falling with her right hand.

"…but, Leena, what's going on, I'm not dead at all."

"Oh, yes, you are still alive, but the poor boy is, and if you don't have anything better to do than bothering people with tasteless humor, maybe you could go to Serge's grave on Cape Howl, it could knock some sense into you and teach you to respect the memory of those who died drowned at such a young age! She screamed, quickly running away, a tear trickling on her right cheek.

Serge stood there at a loss for words. He spotted old Sam and went to sit next no him.

"Someday, you'll have to explain me what goes on in the brain of a woman Sam."

"Uh? Do I know you sonny?"

"Ah come on, Sam you know it's me, Serge, that's not funny, everybody knows you're not yet blind."

"Serge…Serge… this name sorta rings a bell… but you know, at my age, memory isn't what it used to be." He said, placing his chin between his thumb and index.

The old sailor got up and walked away. Serge was left alone once again, clueless as to what was going on.

_Geez, man, is this my birthday? I can't have been unconscious for so long._

He decided to go to the only person he knew wouldn't play along.

"Mom! Mom! Where are you? I'm home mom!"

There wasn't a sound. Serge was clearly alone in his house. In fact, judging by the look of the house, it hadn't been inhabited for a long time.

_Mom would never leave the house in this state…_

Beginning to feel desperate, Serge headed outside the village and came across Cape Howl. Climbing on a huge boulder, he spotted something glimmering atop Cape Howl's cliff. He pondered for a moment and the decided it was pretty much the only thing to do. If this was only a prank, it would probably end there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4: Ghost hunt **

Serge had finally made it to the top of the cliff. The glimmering object had turned out to be a polished stone. He kneeled and brushed his hand against it to dust it off. An inscription had been carved in the stone:

_Rest in peace._

_Our beloved Serge, age 7._

_No one can ever take anything away from him._

_No one can ever give anything to him._

_What was given to us by the sea._

_Has only returned to it._

Swallowing hard, Serge got up slowly and stared at the tombstone for a moment. The sun was now setting over the sea.

"Hey you there! Your name's Serge, right?"

Karsh was standing there, a cold and bitter expression on his face. Behind him were two dragoons wearing heavy pieces of armour and weapons and white loins. The one on his left was a short tubby soldier with brown hair and blue eyes. He was holding a short, but massive one-handed axe. The other was exactly the opposite: tall and lanky holding a long halberd with both hands. He wore a thin moustache.

Not sure of what to answer, Serge raised his hands defensively.

"I'll take that as a yes. Look, junior, we have orders to bring you in, so wether you come willingly, or this axe o'mine'll have to do the talking.

"Sir Karsh, are you sure this is a ghost? He looks like a perfectly perfect young boy to me." The lanky soldier said.

"I really don't give a damn. I'd bring him even if he looked like an ass with wings."

"So what will it be, kid, you come in one piece, or with limbs separately?" Karsh said in an uncompromising tone.

"Hold yer sea horses!" said a feminine voice.

"The three soldiers turned around and looked up. Serge also raised his eyes. Atop the highest rock stood a girl with a short red skirt and jacket and a white shirt. She also had the blonde tail tied up in a ponytail. A dagger was tightened to her belt.

_That's it, I'm just dreaming, and here's the proof…_

The girl jumped down and landed square on her feet. She turned to the soldiers.

"Outta my way, missy, you don't wanna get hurt now, do you?"

"Oi, I don't think I'm going anywhere. I'm not letting you blokes gang up on him like that!" she said, staring fiercely at them.

"Well, then, I guess I could take you in as well. I'm sure my men would appreciate your company in their bed."

"I'm gonna teach you how to speak to a lady, you bloody bastard of a deva!"

_Deva?... That can't be, the devas disappeared along with the Viper family several years ago… Though he really looks like the Karsh I once saw in Termina…_

"Now, that's it! Solt, Peppor, you take on missy, and don't you ruin her body with your axes, the men wouldn't want of a wreck for company! I'll be taking care of baby Serge!"

"Bring it on, chumps!" she said, unsheating her dagger.

Peppor, Solt and the girl had soon formed a triangle. It was a rather defensive fight since none of them was really able to land a blow. The girl was too fast for the heavily-armoured soldiers and she was herself unable to do much damage with her dagger because of these armours.

_Sooner or later, one of them'll land a blow, I have to finish this off as fast as possible…_

Gripping her dagger tightly, the girl narrowed her eyes and one of the red gems socketed into the weapon lost its glow. A fireball was hurled at the short dragoon and sent him flying to land hard against the ground.

Karsh was advancing fast on Serge. Raising his axes, he spun around for a powerful diagonal slash. Serge just had time to dodge the blow.

"Surprised, kid? I'm not kidding, junior! I'm sure you'll grow to enjoy being limbless!"

Feeling adrenaline surge through him, Serge gripped his swallow tightly and engaged the fight. He had never really fought a trained warrior before, but he had no time to learn. He lunged forward for a diagonal slash that was easily deflected by Karsh's axe.

"That's all you can do? I could have asked my grandmother to do the job for me!"

The deva stepped forward for a strong vertical slash. Serge raised his swallow to protect himself. He was able to parry the blow, but there was now a crack in one of the blades of Serge's swallow.

_Damn, my swallow is no match for this steel axe…_

"Give it up, kid! Your wooden stick will snap from the next blow!"

Serge then gripped his swallow hard and focused. One of the blue gems encrusted in his swallow lost its glimmer and huge icicle hit Karsh in the chest. The deva took a few step back but he was very well-conditioned and his body showed only minor bruises.

"Well, looks like you can fight a little after all. Now let me show you a real move!"

Karsh then brought his axe close to his body and began spinning around very fast. His first diagonal slash left another deep crack in a blade of Serge's swallow. His second blow landed a deep cut in Serge's left arm. His third and final blow connected full force with the handle of the swallow and ruptured it in two.

Serge was left clutching his arm while Karsh was smiling at him evilly.

"What? Already tired? You should thank me, you know have two weapons! It's just too bad your girly fighting skills don't allow you to use any of them properly."

Serge was injured, but had no intention of surrendering whatsoever. He held both blades vertically and stepped forward slashing with his left arm. Karsh deflected the blow but didn't see the next one coming. Serge's second weapon connected with Karsh's chest and left a clean cut.

The deva took another step back clutching his wound. He then looked at his hand that was dripping with his own blood. He spat on the ground, still gripping his axe firmly and raised his weapon again to strike. Unable to use his swallow to protect himself anymore, Serge barely had the time to sidestep and dodge the vertical swipe. Karsh was now really mad.

_No fucking way I'm taking that from a kid in diapers._

The girl was now fighting the tall dragoon one-on-one. Seeing what had happened to his comrade, the soldier was fighting very defensively using his long halberd for quick thrusts only.

"Here, have a taste of your own medicine missy." He said

A fireball was hurled at the girl who took the blow but was left pretty much unscathed.

"Oi, not the bright type, dragoon-arse."

"What the…?"

"You shaking idiot, she's a red innate, don't you shaking attack her with red elements." Yelled Peppor, who had managed to recover.

"Oi, I'm gonna show you blokes how to use those."

This time, two red beads lost their glow. Both soldiers were sent flying and landed hard against the ground. Both soldiers got to their knees gritting their teeth from the pain

"Did you see that Peppor? She used two elements at a time."

"Sir Karsh, these are no ordinary brats we're dealing with. I say we shake it outta here so we can live to fight another day." Peppor said, his voice trembling.

The two dragoons retreated running.

"Come back here, you cowards!... That doesn't matter, I can easily take on the both of you at a time!"

Just then a huge white and pink dog came running on the path. It stopped a few feet away from Karsh and began growling threateningly. Karsh stood there observing as the number of his opponents had now increased to three. He began to slowly walk away.

"I'm not through with you yet, junior! I know how to deal with your pet! He yelled, before disappearing in the shadows of the trees.

The dog stopped growling and slowly approached Serge. He bent down and extended his injury-free arm.

"Poshul? Poshul, is that you?"

The dog sniffed Serge's hand timidly and instantly began barking playfully. It then jumped and placed its front paws on Serge's shoulders.

"Ouf!" Serge yelled out, clutching his injured arm. "Sit, Poshul, sit down."

A whistling sound was heard and the dog quickly trailed away.

"Serves ya right, blokes" the girl yelled.

She then turned to Serge and walked toward him.

"Are you ok, mate? How is your arm?

"I think I'll survive… so, uh, who are you?"

"Oi, the name's Kid, world explorer and famous radical dreamer." She said, extending her arm."

"Serge." He said, shaking her hand. "So… why did you help me exactly?"

"Well, I couldn't let them gang up on you like that. Why were they after you anyway?"

"I'm not sure. They said something about me being a ghost or something."

"Ghost? These dragoon-arses are even crazier than I thought."

"Well, I guess I'd better not stay here. They'll prolly be back with reinforcements." He said walking away from Kid.

"Oi, wait a second! Ya know, if ya went to Viper manor you could get an explanation and…"

_Viper manor? Hasn't this place been in shambles for years…?_

Serge stopped and turned to face Kid.

"Yeah, and tell you what, I also have business there, so what do you say you and I team up for a while?"

Serge pondered for a moment.

"Well… alright, since you're the only person who doesn't seem crazy around here."

"Great! Now we're really good mates! But don't you try any funny stuff just cuz I'm cute 'n all or I'll kick you arse so hard, you'll kiss the moons.

Serge trailed away with the girl wondering why he hadn't simply decided to stay in bed that day. It would have been a better place to finish this dream.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5: Ghost hunt was a failure**

Arni village, another world, 1020 A.D.

Serge awoke early the next morning. Sitting in bed, he winced at the pain that shot in his left arm. He pressed his palms against his eyes in an effort to push aside his sleepiness. Eyes still half-closed, he turned his head to the side. His eyes widened as he saw Kid peacefully asleep, one arm above her head, the other on her stomach.

Realizing he was trapped between her and the wall, he pushed aside the covers and tried to crawl out of bed without waking her, but not to avail. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around.

"Oi, 'morning, mate." She said, sitting up.

"Kid? Uh, what are you doing, here?"

"Oi, we agreed on teaming up for a while yesterday, don't ya remember?"

"I-yes, but, you know…"

"C'mon, mate this was the only bed in the house, ya wouldn't have wanted a lady like me to sleep on the floor, would ya?"

"No-but-it's just that…"

Kid looked at him for a few moments and then turned to bring her hands to her feet to stretch her legs.

"Oi, now I get it!" she said, slowly returning her hands to her knees. "You've never lied down next to a lady before, have you? She added, turning her face to him.

"Well-I-uh, no, but…"

"Well, admit that it wasn't that bad, in fact I'm sure you really liked it, didn't you?"

"What? I-uh…" he baffled, his cheeks turning a bright red.

"Sheesh! Don't take it like that, mate. I was just teasing ya."

"Uh?"

"In fact, if I lied down next to you, it was because I was sure someone like ya would never have touched a girl."

"What the?" he said, offended by the remark.

"Relax, mate, I was teasing again!" she said, giggling.

"So, you're always teasing people like that, or do I really like such a goody-two-shoes?"

"Let's say I like poking fun at people. Say, I'm starving, why don't we go and eat something?"

Both got out of bed and went down stairs to the kitchen. There, they saw Leena standing by the doorway. They both stopped and looked at her for a moment.

"Oi, mate, don't tell me this Sheila here is your sweetheart, cuz now I feel a bit bad for having lied next to ya."

Ignoring the remark, Leena just walked up to them, rubbing the palm of her left hand against the back of her right hand in a sheepish manner.

"Look, I just want to apologize for yesterday. I didn't mean to yell at you like at, but it's just that you… well… you reminded me of a bad memory.

"Uh, ok." Serge said, gazing at the floor and then to her.

"… and you know, you really look a lot like Serge, at least like what he would have probably looked now hadn't he drowned seven years ago.

"Drowned? You didn't tell me you died that way, mate." Kid said, in a teasing manner.

However, Neither Serge or Leena seemed to have heard her.

"Say, you two must be hungry. Here, I've baked you some fried fish. Maybe we can all eat breakfast and… you can tell me a little bit more about you and that_ something _that happened to you yesterday?"

They all began eating while Serge was explaining his story.

"Wow…just wow! That tale's really awesome, you know." Leena said, trying hard to find appropriate words. "and… um, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to Viper manor to get an explanation as to why I was attacked."

"Then I'm going with you." Leena said, determination spread on her face.

"What?" Serge and Kid exclaimed, dropping their forks.

"You know, maybe Serge drowned seven years ago, or maybe that he's standing in front of me right now, and that's what I want to believe. I'm not going to lose you twice, so wherever you're going, I'm going with you."

"Oi, ya know, girl, we aren't exactly going there knocking on the door and asking if we could speak with the manager about his men trying to do us in." Kid said.

"Hey, what are you trying to say? I'm not damsel in distress. I can take care of myself and I've made the trip to Termina before. I'm perfectly able to take care of myself, do I make myself clear?"

"Sheesh, girl, take it easy! Serge here is getting way too excited at the idea of a catfight." Kid said, flashing an amused smile to Serge.

"You know, if we want to reach the place by sunset, we'd better start packing right now." Serge said.

"Right, mate!"

Serge and Kid began gathering their possessions while Leena headed home to full her backpack.

Several minutes later, they were standing by the gate of the village, bidding their good-byes to the fishing village.

Viper manor, another world, 1020 A.D.

In a room of the third floor was a young woman dressed like a harlequin. She was wearing a red and blue suit. As a head-dress she was wearing a red coxcomb with two golden bells dangling from it. Huge red gloves covered her hands and matching shoes. Red tights covered her slender legs and over them were translucent blue baggy pants. Her face was painted all white except for a lone black tear under her right. Two light pink pompons acted like earrings and a big sapphire was hanging from her neck to rest on her abdomen.

She was dancing gracefully, a soft smile on her lips, humming an air to herself. She stopped abruptly, turning around to see the feline demi-human leaning against the door frame.

"Oh la la, monsieur Lynx, have you no mannerz? No one ever told you to knock before entering a lady'z room."

"I think we both know this won't make much of a difference if the lady's you, Harle." He said, walking past her.

"But now here is something interesting. I didn't know you were such a good dancer." He said, his body facing the window, but turning his head to look at her.

"Oh, merci, monsieur Lynx, but zhere are many other thingz you don't know about moi."

"Really?" he said in an amused, but interested voice.

"Oui, but now, if you are 'ere it must be zhat you want to tell something to moi, non?

"Indeed Harle. It appears that the dragoon has failed the mission. He couldn't bring him here." He said, trailing a single sharp claw on the edge of the window.

"Oh, and what iz it that you want from moi, zen, monsieur Lynx?"

"For now, not much… They are coming here. Simply greet them properly."

"Bien sur, monsieur Lynx." She said, bowing deeply.

Termina, another world, 1020 A.D.

"That was awfullyly awfully embarrassing back there Peppor."

"For once, you shaking said something true. We can't just shake it back to the manor like that."

"But what are we gonna do?"

"I'm shaking gonna tell you what we're gonna do. We're going to kick their asses."

"But how? That girl, she was a reallyly really good fighter. She used two elements at the same time."

"Those were only weak elements. Shaking proof is that even the spaghetti with a mustache that you are survived it!"

"You know, I'm starting to think that maybe if we learned that trick we could" but he was cut off by the shorter dragoon.

"You shaking dimwit! We won't learn that stupid trick, we have to get shaking strong elements of the opposite color of their shaking innate. Now you just shaking follow me!"

Both soldiers entered a store with thousands of colored beads spread on several glass counters. The short soldier instantly began searching for weapons of choice. The tall one approached the main counter where a young woman clad in a blue outfit that matched her eyes and blonde hair was chatting with a friend. He stopped a few feet away from the counter and fixed his eyes on the blonde, a shy smile on his lips.

Seeing what was going on, the blonde-haired woman abruptly stopped the conversation and headed for Solt.

"May I help you sir?" she asked in a polite voice.

Solt quickly snapped out of his thought.

"Er, uh, yes, I mean, no, I was just staring-uh-looking at the… elements that is." He said, sweat forming on his forehead."

"Well, in this case, I'll just…"

Her voice was cut off by the short soldier.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Have you got any shakingly strong black elements here?"

"I'm afraid I don't sir. Black elements are very rare and only highly-specialized people have the right to sell them."

Disappointment then spread over the short soldier's face while the tall one just continued to gaze at the woman.

The woman walked back to her friend and started chatting again. A man who had been watching their conversation silently then approached the dragoons. He had had long purple hair tied up behind his head and was wearing a white outfit covered with golden laces. The upper-most portion of his face was also hidden under a mask.

"Excuse me noble sirs. I didn't mean to overhear anything, but it seems that you're in need of black elements?"

"Shake it we are." Said the short dragoon.

"Well then, I'm sure I can help you." He said, placing his arm around the dragoon's shoulder and directing him toward the exit.

Both men exited the shop. The masked man then produced a bracelet to which were attached several black glowing beads. Peppor's face enlightened.

"Seems like shaking good elements you got there!"

"Three Gravity Blows, three Gravitonnes, five Nostrums and a free fall. A pretty good set as you can see."

"How much you want for it? Said Peppor pulling out a bag of gold.

"For you… 2000 gold coins."

Peppor's smile quickly faded and he began pondering.

_Shaking hell, this is a monthly salary worth… But I can't let those kids get away with this…_

Finally, he came to a decision.

"Deal!" he said, handing the masked man 2000 gold coins.

"Glad we could do some business." Said the man, leaving with the gold.

Peppor entered the shop again to find his brother still gazing at the woman without making much effort to look busied with something else. The situation was clearly making her uncomfortable as she was often checking on the man to see what he was up to.

"Get your shaking ass here." Peppor said, grabbing his brother by the shoulder and dragging him outside.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing? Can't you see that she was all over me?"

"Yeah, that's right! And I've just been named leader of the devas."

"But I swear she was…"

"Oh will you shut the shake up! She wouldn't go on a date with you even if you were as popular as that drag-queen rockstar."

"Alright, alright, but admit I was doing prettily pretty well."

"Yeah, you wish. Now just follow me. We've got to find those brats and teach them a shaking lesson." He said, gripping the bracelet tightly.

"Um, Peppor… How did you get those?"

"While you were busy drooling enough to drown this town, I was doing business with a professional black element user. I got them from him."

The lanky soldier was staring at his brother incredulously.

"Ah, don't worry, I didn't steal them, nor sold your ass, even if was shaking tempted to."

"Sold my ass? I'd like to see who would sell who's ass?"

"Oh shut the shake up, will ya!"

Both soldiers left the town, still arguin


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 6: Meeting in fossil valley**

Fossil valley, another world, 1020 A.D.

Peppor was sitting on a rock near the entrance to fossil valley, his axe held between his legs.

"Are you sure these elements will be enough to beat them Peppor, I mean getting beaten again would be terriblyly terribly embarrassing."

"Of course, a white innate could never resist so much black energy." Peppor said, nonchalantly.

"… but I still think that, you know, we had sir Karsh with us and all…"

"Will ya shaking stop complaining for a second, I'm trying to shake up with a strategy." Peppor said, closing his eyes and placing his hands behind his head.

He then reopened his eyes and turned them to the archeologists who were busy extracting fossils from the rock of the base of mount Renos, one of the two mountains that formed fossil valley.

"You know Solt, sometimes I shaking wonder why I don't just quit this lame job and do what they're doing, at least I wouldn't be stuck here hearing your constant whining."

"I think you'd still be here, if you were to do the same thing they do Peppor."

"At least I wouldn't be sitting on a rock with all my joints hurting from battle exhaustion." Peppor said in a slightly irritated voice.

"Shake it, I really wonder why I didn't just become an archaeologist."

"Um, because you can't tell the difference between a heckran bone and a giant dog biscuit." Solt said, shielding his face with his left hand, knowing what was coming.

However, Peppor' hand came from behind, brutally slapping the back of his head, knocking his helmet away. Solt's helmet bounced several times before stopping mere inches from a deep crevice.

"Hey, careful, Peppor, that helmet protects my head, you know." Solt said, picking up his head-gear.

"Then it's shaking useless." Peppor said, in a nonchalant tone.

"Hey, Peppor, I think someone's coming."

"Hmm?"

Peppor quickly got up and pressed his ear against the ground.

"Shake it Solt, you're right. Quick! In the bushes!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the hot and humid air of the sea, the cool and dry air of the valley made by mount Renos and mount Dinos was a relief to the three travelers. Many shadows created by the mountains and a few trees here and there loomed over the valley. Strong gusts of wind often made the tree leaves rustle. Serge and his friends made their way past the ladder that allowed the archeologists to reach the ledge where they had been digging for days, uncovering many bones that belonged to creatures long extinct in the archipelago.

"It's sure been a long time since I last saw the valley." Serge commented.

"Didn't you tell me that Fossil valley is just next to Arni in your world too." Said a puzzled Leena.

"Well, yeah, but you see, when the Porre army began their military actions in El Nido, the devas and general Viper had disappeared without leaving traces. Porre had no difficulty at all to take Termina, burn down the manor and take control over the archipelago. They also blocked all trade routes that led to Termina."

"Martial law must be horrible."

"Yeah, I enjoyed visiting Termina, especially when the magical dreamers came on tour. Those Porre jackasses forbade all concerts after the first show under their control burst into a riot."

"Oi, magical dreamers, I've seen them once, they bloody rock! I can't wait to see them on stage again at the festival." Kid said, taking part in the conversation."

"So, what about you Leena? You like them?" Serge said, expectantly.

"well, I've heard about them, but I never saw them before."

"Oi, you don't know what you've been missing girl, but don't worry, we'll fix that."

"What?"

"You weren't really thinking I'd go to Termina during the Viper festival without seeing the magical dreamers. I haven't been able to do that for years."

"But didn't you say you had business to attend at the manor?"

"Oi ,yeah, but you can't spend your life trimming like a bloody convict. Sometimes you've got to have fun too."

"Well, I guess I could use some entertainment…"

"That's the spirit girl. We'll teach you how to bring down the bloody house."

The three walked silently for a few miles before Kid broke the silence again.

"Oi, mate, what's the name of that weapon of yours again?"

"It's a swallow, or rather two halves of a swallow now."

"Where the bloody hell did you get that? I've never seen anything like that before."

"Once when I was 14 I was walking on Opassa beach and I spotted what looked like debris from a shipwreck. It was lying there. I just took it and brought it back with me. Everybody was thrilled by my discovery except Radius."

"Radius? Are you talking about the Radius that was once a deva.?" Leena asked.

"Yeah, in my world, he became chief of Arni after he retired from the devas."

"Boy, here Radius lives like a hermit on a small island north of here."

"Oi, what was his problem? The bloke couldn't have been jealous."

"Dunno. He said that I should rather be relying on elements rather than weapons. Even if he fought with one for almost fifty years, he's all about elements, says that one day or another steel will hurt you even if you're holding it by the hilt. He spends most of his days teaching kids of the village how to use elements. Mom usually assists him."

"Oi, seems much more difficult to wield than any other weapon I've seen."

"Yeah, it's a weapon made for acrobatic moves and clean cuts."

"Ya were doing bloody well with it yesterday."

"Yeah, but I don't know what would have happened if Poshul hadn't shown up. That Karsh dude seemed like a tough one. He isn't a deva for no reason."

"Sucks that it bloody broke so easily."

"I know. Copper is no match for steel when it comes to weapons. I'll try to have the blacksmith reforge it with steel when we get to Termina."

The trio continued to walk silently until they saw the end of the valley appearing.

"Oi, we're almost there. We made bloody good time."

Serge suddenly felt his body weakening. He fell to his kness, all his bones giving him the feeling that they would rupture under his own weight. His vision was blurring, but he could still see that Kid and Leena seemed to be having the same problem, just not to the same extant.

"Oi, girl what did you put in that fish, I bloody seem to have gained a hundred pounds." Kid said, gritting her teeth.

The effect slowly disappeared, but Serge was still unable to get up, his body agonizing. Just then, two figure came out of the bushes.

"Shake it, Solt! Look what we've found. It's the two kids in diapers, and they've brought a friend. Looks like we'll have to make a bigger crib when we get back to Viper manor."

"Oi, it's Lanky and Fatso! Up for another beating, dragoon-arses?"

"A beating? Look who's getting a beating. Seems like baby-whity can't handle any shaking black elements Solt."

"What? I'm going to teach you to attack people's weak points" said an infuriated Leena.

She closed her fist and one of the green beads of her bracelet lost its glow. Soon several razor-sharp leaves pierced the tall dragoon's armor and had him clutch his abdomen under the pain. Before he could make a move, Leena was on him, her frying pan raised above her head. She brought it down as hard as she could on the soldier's head, knocking him to the ground.

"I shaking don't think so."

Another black bead lost its glow and Kid was brutally swung into the air and out of sight. Seeing this, Leena headed toward the fat soldier, her pan raised. However, Peppor swung his axe and knocked the pan out of Leena's head without a sweat. The soldier began advancing on her. Leena suddenly regretted her decision of following the blue-haired boy.

_He's really going to kill me. Mom was right, I know nothing of the real world. I should've stayed home…_

Just as Peppor had raised his axe again a loud noise was heard. Sharply turning her head, Leena saw several boulders that were falling from the mountain. The two instantly broke the fight. Leena grabbed Serge and pulled him behind a large tree while Peppor did the same with Solt. The boulders came crashing against the trees, creating a huge dust cloud that blinded all. When the smoke had dissipated, Peppor was alone with Solt, looking around for his rivals.

"Shake it! Shake it to hell! We had him shaking cornered!" Peppor yelled to the sky.

The short dragoon hurled his axe in a nearby tree before letting out another yell of rage.

Not so far from there, Serge was sitting against a tree, the pain in his bones slowly fading and his vision returning to normal.

"Serge, are you okay? Asked a worried Leena.

Serge pressed his thumb and index against his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Leena? What happened?" he asked in a weak voice.

"We were attacked. They used a gravitonne element on us.

"Uh? Where's Kid?"

Leena looked at him in silent for a moment before answering.

"Serge, I don't know how to say this, but I'm not sure we're going to her ever again."

"What?" He said, breaking contact with the tree.

"While you had collapsed, they used a free fall on her, and, well, she was sent flying several dozens of feet in the air and has fallen back to the ground somewhere" she said, not breaking eye contact.

Serge began turning his head frantically, hoping he actually wouldn't have to witness the horrible sight of Kid's dead body lying on the ground.

"Oi, missed me mates?" Kid said, leaning on a tree.

She had several scratches, but she didn't seem to be seriously injured. She then walked toward her two companions.

"But how… how did you survive such a fall?" Leena asked, incredulously.

"Oi, tell you what, the digger up there looked as if a he had heard his bloody shovel talk to him when I came crashing on his bed."

"You fell on a bed?"

"Ya, and the guy wasn't as displeased to have a lady next to him than you were, mate." She said, looking at Serge.

Serge's cheeks reddened in a mix of anger and embarrassment. Leena looked puzzled.

"Well, landing on a bed, you must really have a guardian angel looking over you." Leena said.

"Oi, don't be silly girl, there are no bloody things such as guardian angels."

"Well, you're still incredibly lucky."

"Don't say that girl. You bloody don't know what you're talking about." Kid said, before walking away.

"Can you walk Serge?" Leena asked, turning to him.

"Yeah, I'm alright." He said, getting up.

They were now out of the valley and the air was warm and filled with humidity again. The port town of Termina was one hour of walk away from them. They would reach it before sunset.

Viper manor, another world, 1020 A.D.

Riddel Viper was walking alone in the richly decorated hallway that led to her bedroom. A door suddenly opened in front of her. A feline demi-human came out of it.

"Ah, miss Riddel, what a pleasant surprise."

"Sir, I do not wish to have a conversation with you." She said, failing to hide her fear.

"Why such an anti-social behaviour? I'm sure we could get along well if we only tried." He said, walking toward her, his lips curling in a malevolant smile.

"You heard the lady! Now leave her alone demi-human." Came Karsh's voice.

"Such rudeness. I was just in the middle of a conversation with the lady."

"You get away from her or you'll be the first cat to swallow your own tail." He said, his face inches away from the demi-human's.

"After what happened yesterday evening, I'm afraid you will teach no one a lesson sir Karsh." The demi-human said in a mocking tone.

Karsh's face contorted in anger and he raised his axe. Riddel caught his arm just in time.

"No, Karsh, please, he's not worth it. You know what will happen if you harm him." Riddel said in a pleading voice.

Karsh lowered his axe, his breathing still furious.

"You will not be able to hide behind the general's orders for ever jackass. One day or another, you'll make a mistake and then I'll make you pay for everything you did to this manor and all the crimes you committed five years ago." Karsh said through gritted teeth.

"I' deeply sorry my lady, but such anger makes a proper conversation unachievable. I will bid you good evening and maybe we can have this conversation sometime in the future." He said, walking past them.

Riddel turned to Karsh, but he was also walking away, his steps heavy, reflecting his anger.

"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 7: The Port Town of Termina**

Termina, another world, 1020 A.D.

"Oi, that's it mates! We made it!" Kid said, fists on her hips, a proud smile on her lips.

The port town of Termina was a huge contrast to Arni. The buildings were all made of silver-white brick as well as the streets. The town was split up in three main streets with a long stairway that connected them. The west-most part of Termina consisted of docks were several ships were tied to pegs with thick ropes. One particularly huge vessel bore the inscription: "Magical dreamers, diamonddust tour, 1020. A red-carpeted footbridge connected the vessel to the docks. Above the footbridge stood an archway decorated with red, white and pink light bulbs and balloons. Two buff men wearing sunglasses and standing motionless with their massive arms crossed guarded the entrance.

"Oi, mate I bet you won't dare calling one of them a bloody douchebag."

"I might as well tell them you insulted their mom." Serge quickly replied.

"Oi, we'll see about that."

Serge began feeling nervous as he saw her walking toward the two guards, but his heart-beat returned to normal once he saw her head over a stand labelled with :"tour tickets here". Serge and Leena followed her. Once at the stand, Kid and Serge's jaws dropped.

"Oi, what the bloody hell did you just say?"

"I'm really sorry, but the show has just been cancelled. I can't tell you anything else."

"What a bloody waste!" Kid said, kicking a rock.

"I can't believe that I finally get a chance to see them live after so many years and the dang show's cancelled." Serge said, plopping himself on a nearby bench.

"It's not that bad. We can still enjoy the festival a bit." Leena said, sitting next to him.

"Yeah, right." Serge said, without any enthousiasm.

The three began wandering in the streets that were swarming with people. They had climbed to the highest street and were looking down at the ring that was used for the fighting tournament. It consisted of a terrain made of dirt with two massive wooden poles in the center that served as obstacles. Two men were currently fighting for a place in the finals. Serge immediately recognised one of the two contestants as Karsh. The other was a tall blonde man with a thick beard wielding a massive spear. Karsh was leading four strokes to two according to the scoreboard.

"If he wins this tournament, Karsh will tie Garai's and Dario's record of three championships in a row." Leena said, without much concern.

"Dang it, man! That Karsh sure is something. I still wonder how I was able to survive that fight." Serge commented.

"Oi, mate, simple. You were fighting alongside the great Kid!"

"That's probably because Poshul showed up…hey Leena, did you actually send her on purpose?"

"Actually, yes. I saw them heading for Cape howl and I didn't want them to hurt you too badly, so I decided to send Poshul."

"Best idea you had!"

"When I saw that Poshul liked you, I knew that I could trust you. She doesn't befriend anyone."

Then the advertiser's voice yelled that Karsh had made the decisive stroke and had won the match. The crowd began to scatter as the voice also mentioned that this was the last match for today.

"Oi, what do ya'll say we find an inn? We'll need rest if we want to make it to Viper manor tomorrow."

The travelers began searching the streets for an inn. They spotted one near the entrance. It was a very small inn with only six rooms. The owner was a woman clad in a red dress covered by a white apron. On each blue door was a buoy. Leena headed over to the counter to book a room for the night. Inside the room were three cozy beds with dark-blue sheets. Each traveler sat on a bed and was silent for a moment.

"Oi, you know, mate, I'm a little worried about you." Kid said, concern on her face.

"Hm?" Serge raised his head to look at her.

"Last time you… had only one lady around you and your head nearly exploded. Now that you have two, I wonder what you'll do." She said, her expression changing to a grin.

Serge pretended to just ignore her, but slowly grabbed his pillow and threw it at Kid, now smiling too.

"Oi, mate, that means war."

Kid threw Serge's pillow right back at him before grabbing her own pillow to deliver a forceful blow to Serge's head.

"Not in my habits to avoid a fight." He said, getting in fighting stance.

"Stop it, you two. This room's on me and I don't want to be paying for a wrecked room." Leena yelled.

"Oi, c'mon girl, don't be such a goody-two-shoes. Serge here loosened up a bit and I'm bloody sure he's enjoying this trip much more than you are.

"Unlike you, _girl_, I'm not the easy type and just to make sure, I'll be taking the middle bed so you two might manage to keep everything in one piece until tomorrow morning." Leena said, dropping her things on the bed.

"Well, Sergei, looks like you're not sleeping between two beauties tonight." Kid said, teasingly.

"I think I'll survive this." Serge said, dropping his head on his pillow.

Leena blew off the candles and all went to sleep. Luckily for them, the temperature had dropped and they were able to get a good rest. Kid was the first one to wake up the next morning. She began packing her things noisily, which woke up Serge and Leena.

"Damn it, do you know what time it is?" Serge said, grumpily.

"Ya, but this is no bloody vacation! You two've got to get up. Lots of stuff to do today."

Serge and Leena got out of bed reluctantly. They packed their things and left the inn.

"First thing first, you need a new weapon mate. We're heading for the forge." Kid announced, looking at Serge.

The Termina forge was a very renowned shop. Its owner had the reputation of being so serious about weapon forging that he was known for starting all over if a sound was heard during the process. The building itself was very modest: wooden counter, a few weapons on display and two chairs for people who needed to rest their legs while the work was done. Serge was greeted by a woman of around fifty years of age. She had long grey hair and a bright smile on her face.

"Hi, uh, I was wondering if you could reforge it with steel." He said, placing the two pieces of his broken swallow on the counter.

The woman took them and inspected them for a moment.

"Will you excuse me for a moment." She said, the pieces still in her hands.

She entered the back room where a man of a strong built was turned to a blast-furnace, a hammer in his right-hand. He was pounding repeatedly on a piece of steel. Abruptly, he stopped and replaced his hammer. He turned and headed toward the woman.

"What is it?" he asked, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Look at the inscription." She said, handing the man the broken weapon.

The blacksmith took the broken pieces and directed his gaze toward the blades. On one he found a G and a R carved in the copper. His eyes widened.

"You really think this could be…" he voice trailed off.

"I'm sure. It has to be. How could it be otherwise? There can't be two of those in the world."

The man observed the weapon for a moment and left the back room followed by the woman.

"This is yours, kid? He asked Serge.

"Yeah! So, can you reforge it?"

"You're underestimating this old blacksmith kid. Look, let's make a deal. I keep those and I forge you a brand-new swallow made of pure steel for free. Whadda ya say?"

Serge took a moment to consider the offer before answering. His swallow was something dear to him, but on another side, they would save up loads of money if he accepted the offer. Kid and Leena stood there waiting for Serge's answer.

"Alright" he finally said, shaking the man's hand.

"Ye won't regret it boy." The man said, returning to the back room.

"Come back this afternoon, it'll be ready." The woman said.

The three left the shop.

"Oi, now let's split up. You two'll go to the element shop and get us some spicy stuff in case we run into those dragoon-arses again. I'll go to the hardware store to get some equipment."

Kid departed leaving Serge and Leena standing in front of the blacksmith. Serge and Leena also walked away toward the element shop.

"She's quite something, don't you think? I mean, she's nice, but she's… you know…" Leena's voice trailed off.

"A real tomboy?" Serge cut her off.

"Well, put it that way, I guess it's a bit true, but still she must be kind-hearted. She saved you from those soldiers even if it was really dangerous." Leena said, crossing her arms.

"You also did help me by sending Poshul, didn't you?"

"I guess so." She said, nodding.

"Ah, here we are!" Serge said, taking a look at the sign that read _Lisa's element shop_.

In a way, Serge wasn't sure if he would really like what would most probably happen. The Leena he knew had always been better than him with elements and never missed a chance to lecture him on how to improve his skills, which elements to buy, how to get the most out of every element and such.

Leena instantly headed over to the counter to be greeted by a blonde woman.

"Hi, Lisa, how are you?"

"Oh, hi, Leena. I'm good, what about? Is it a new headband? It sure looks great."

"Oh thanks. Atually I had it for a long time. I just tied a few beads to it."

Seeing where this conversation was headed, Serge decided he would do the shopping himself. Actually, he certainly preferred this to a lecture from Leena. Looking around, he spotted several interesting elements. He'd just have to decide himself which elements to buy.

_Aquaballs…Fire pillars…Tablets…Medicines…Bushbashers…Curepluses…Upheavals… Photon rays…Meteorites…_

Something struck him. There were very few white elements and not a single black element. Serge decided that they would just have to deal with this and he grabbed some elements from the shelves before heading to the counter. He spotted Leena who was still chatting with the owner, her back turned to him. Not sure what to say, he just stood there for a moment, waiting for her to turn around.

"Uh, will you excuse me Leena. I think your friend wants to buy these." The owner said shyly.

Leena turned to Serge and saw his hands filled with glimmering beads.

"Oh…oh, sorry Serge, it's just that…"

"It's okay." He cut her off, proceeding to put the elements on the counter and reaching for his money.

Once outside, Leena tried to apologize again.

"Really Serge, I feel sorry for not helping you at all."

"Don't worry." He said, rolling his eyes. "I know you women can't live without this anyway."

"I guess, but I'm not going to let you down anymore."

"It's okay Leena, I'm not mad at you or anything. Now let's just find Kid."

"Looking for me mates?" Kid said, landing in front of them.

"Yeah! So, what did you get?" Serge asked.

"Take a bloody good look at what I bought." Kid said, producing a rope, a hook and some stones.

"What are those stones for?" Leena asked, puzzled.

"We'll have our mate Sergei, here, carry them in his backpack. We'll make a bloody man out of him."

Serge just raised an eyebrow, fully aware of what the stones were for.

"Alright, kidding. These are sharpening stones. They can sharpen our weapons. Not as efficient as a real millstone, but they can still be useful."

"By the way, I didn't know thieves bought their stuff sometimes." Serge commented.

"Don't worry mate. You'll have a chance to see my skills in action tonight."

"What?" Leena exclaimed.

"Oi, c'mon girl. I already explained that we weren't going to knock first."

"Yeah, well breaking in is something, but stealing from the manor could get all of us in serious trouble…plus I believe stealing is wrong."

"Look, you're still free to leave girl." Kid said, fiercely.

"I'm not leaving. I said that I'd come and I'm coming."

"Alright, but no more complaining. Alright, now time to find to way to get in this bloody stronghold."

"What? You mean you don't know how to get in?" Serge said, astounded.

"Oi, never stopped me before mate." Kid replied.

"In this case we'd better get searching now."

"Bloody right mate. I say we head over that restaurant. Good chances we might meet someone with info."

The three headed for the massive stairway that led to the uppermost street where the restaurant was located. On their way they saw a corpulent lady selling pets to what were obviously window-shopping kids. A boy was holding what seemed to be a very small monkey. Suddenly a male teenager landed gracefully on top of a large water-tank that contained several exotic fish. The teenager was wearing a bright red speedo, a pair of black-leather gloves and a matching vest. His ankles were taped for protection. His red hair was done in a Mohawk cut. Two black stripes were painted on his cheeks and a leather necklace was hanging in his neck.

"Leave them alone! Animals are not made to live in cages!" he yelled at the kids.

"Yikes! It's Korcha! Run!" said the girl.

Both kids scrambled away and Korcha was left alone with an infuriated woman that weighted at least twice his weight. Her face had turned a bright red. She grabbed a broom and began swinging it frantically at the teenager.

"You little monster! Get away from my stand! You scare my customers!" she yelled, unable to land a blow on the boy, who was moving with the agility of a cat.

"Ha! Serves cha right, you old hag!" the boy said, before jumping in a dugout canoe that was waiting down below.

"Oi, mate, you called for the go-go boy?" Kid said, turning to Serge.

"Who the hell is he? That has got to be the weirdest outfit I've seen." Serge said, catching sight of the teenager.

"Oh, that's Korcha. He's from Guldove. He always comes here to _educate_ people about the well-being of animals. Personally, I think he's quite right about caging animals." Leena explained.

"Oi, just seeing his outfit's pretty scary. C'mon now, let's find that restaurant, I'm starving."

After traveling a few meters, Kid felt a hand grab her arm.

"You seem to have a very particular destiny, young lady! Oh, yes! I feel so much energy swirling around you! May I use my skills to tell your fortune?" said a short old man with dark skin and wearing a turban.

"Oi, you let me go now, you crook, because I foresee that your arse'll kiss the bloody moons if you don't do so." Kid snapped, freeing her arm violently.

The old man simply walked back inside his tent, apparently taking no offense of the comment.

It took them a few more minutes of walking to reach a bar named The Dragon's Tail. All of them entered, eager to enjoy a good meal. The inside was rather dark. There were no windows and the only light came from two candelabras that hung from the ceiling. Several round wooden tables were spread in the room. A corpulent man with several empty dishes was calling for the waitress, his hunger apparently not yet satisfied.

"Oi, you two just get a table and order us some squid gut pasta. I'll take care of the rest." Kid said, leaving Serge and Leena.

"What a fiery temper she has, don't you know think?" Leena asked, obviously referring to Kid.

"Yeah, I have to admit that she can give a good show out there."

"She really doesn't care about hurting people's feelings, uh?"

"Oh, come on, that man was probably just a crook. I mean, no one can really foresee he future." Serge said, apparently taking Kid's side.

Leena didn't answer and instead turned her head to see where Kid was now. Leena spotted her talking to two men that showed clear signs of having sailed under the orders of a pirate before. One of them had a hook for a hand and a huge scar of his right forearm while the other had a peg for a leg and a patch over his left eye.

"Oi, so you're bloody sure we can reach it by the sea, after climbing the cliff?" the thief asked.

"Aye, lass! The sea leads everywhere, even in Viper manor." The one with a hook answered.

"Ye'll need a good ship however lass. Careful, 'cause big one will be spotted and too small ones will get swallowed by the waves."

Kid threw a purse filled with gold on the men's table and left to rejoin Serge and Leena.

"Too bad, looks like I won't be able to eat yours as well" Serge said.

Kid sat down and elbowed him in the ribs. Serge just clutched his torso and turned his gaze to her, waiting for a summary of her previous conversation.

"Oi, they say we can reach the manor by climbing the cliff behind it if we have a boat."

"Where are we gonna get a boat?" Serge asked.

"Oi, I could steal one from the docks, but it would be spotted right away, too big."

"I think I spotted one near the shrines. It's not too big, but I think it could handle the waves. However, just do me a favour and don't steal it. We surely have enough money to rent it or something." Leena said, reprehensively.

"Oi, alright, alright, miss goody-two-shoes. I'm not gonna steal it. Happy now?"

"Yeah." Leena said, frowning.

The three left the bar and headed for the shrines. The area was separated from the rest of the city by a river over which a wooden bridge had been built. After crossing the bridge, Leena stopped to stare at Riddel Viper and Glenn who were kneeling in front of a sword sunk in the ground.

"Oi, you know those two?" Kid asked.

"Yes. They're miss Riddel and sir Glenn. They often come here to pray next to sir Dario's and sir Garai's grave." Leena said in a voice full of sympathy.

"Oi, whatever." Kid said, looking around, trying to spot the boat.

"I think it must be the one." Serge said, pointing to a dugout canoe next to which was kneeling Korcha.

Kid jumped down on the shore followed by Serge.

"Oi, you gogo-boy, that boat's to you?" Kid asked.

The teenager got up and answered without turning to face her.

"Cha name's Korcha, that boat belongs to me and in case Cha're interested, you're outfit really reminds me of the one I saw on some stripper last week." He said, grinning and finally turning to face them.

"Oi, I'm gonna show you how to talk to a lady, you bloke." Kid snapped, reaching for her dagger.

She was stopped just in time by Leena who grasped her arm. Kid struggled a bit, but calmed down. Serge approached Korcha, embarrassed by Kid's behaviour.

"Eh, look, I'm sorry, uh, we were wondering if you could rent us your boat." He asked, scratching the back of his head.

Korcha just stared at him for a moment and then spoke.

"Let's make a deal. I give you the boat for free if your fiery friend over there becomes my wife."

Serge was taken aback by the proposal, but before he could answer, he found himself clutching his shin, trying to suppress a sharp pain in his lower leg. Kid was now inches from Korcha, burning with anger.

"Oi, you listen to me, keep your bloody boat, cuz there'll be yellow-dotted heckrans before I marry you." She yelled, pushing back the teenager and walking away.

Serge and Leena just stared at her and then decided to go after her.

"Geez, that's what I call aggressive negotiations." Serge said.

"Oi, you're kidding I hope. I'd never even touch a weirdo like that."

Suddenly they all stopped upon seeing a man with long purple hair, wearing a white outfit and a yellow mask over the upper portion of his face resting against the wooden bridge. He had obviously heard their conversation and was smiling at them.

"Oi, what do ya want? Stop staring at me like that or I'll kick your arse so bad you'll kiss the moons." Kid yelled at the man.

The man, however, just stared at her some more, his smile slowly fading.

"Please forgive me. I didn't mean to overhear anything, but you were making such a ruckus down there." He said, in a very calm voice.

Serge, Kid and Leena simply stared at him, waiting for further explanation.

"It seems that are looking for a way to break into Viper manor…" but he was cut off by Serge

"But how do you…?" Serge began to ask, but he too was cut off.

"I was also at The Dragon's Tail."

"Oi, and you say you didn't mean to overhear anything." Kid snapped.

"Oh, I ask for your forgiveness, but you see, I also have business to attend in Viper manor and I know of a way inside. However, I could certainly use some help. So I'm suggesting that we team up. What do you think?"

Leena looked at Serge, who turned his gaze to Kid.

"Oi… alright, but if I catch you spying of me again, I'll really kick your sorry arse."

"Excellent, you can call me Guile." The man said, extending his hand.

The new party then proceeded to the introductions.

"It is already late. If we want to reach the manor by dusk, we'd better get going." Guile suggested.

"Oi, before there's just one last thing to take care of: picking up Sergey's new and improved swallow!" Kid said, thrusting her fist in the air.

Serge was thrilled at the suggestion as he was eager to be holding a real steel swallow.

Once in the forge, they were greeted by the same woman who met them the first time.

"Your weapon's ready. If you'll give me a minute."

She went to the back room and came back with the blacksmith, who was holding an oblong-shaped object rolled up in a purple velvet piece of cloth. The man unwrapped the present, which revealed Serge's new weapon. It was a magnificent weapon. Thin, but solid handle coupled with two flame-shaped steel blades.

The blacksmith handed Serge the weapon and the boy's arm slumped down under the unexpected weight of the steel swallow.

"Aye, son, first time you hold a real weapon? Don' worry, you'll get used to it!" barked the buff man.

Serge re-gripped the weapon more firmly this time. It felt really solid. Serge thanked the blacksmith and exited the forge along with the others.

"With this baby, I'm sure to be able to defend myself if those dragoons come after me again." Serge said, still grasping his new weapon, smiling brightly.

"Oi, it's funny how men tend to see their weapon as the extension of what hangs between their legs." Kid commented, a teasing smile on her face.

Serge blushed furiously, looking down at his weapon. He realized he was holding it at waist-length, pointing straight forward. Leena burst into laughter and Guile chuckled at the comment. Serge immediately switched to holding the weapon with one hand, next to his body.

"Oi, so, Guile, how are we supposed to get inside that manor." Kid asked, once everybody had regained their composure.

"Simple. There's an old passageway that connects the forest to the east and the dryed-up well of the manor."

"Are you sure there won't be guards?" Leena asked.

"I don't think there will be any guards. This pass is very old and very few people know of it."

"Oi, anyway, if they're like the ones we've already met, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Well, it's settled then. Viper manor, here we come." Serge said.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8 : The Forest of Cutting Shadows**

Viper manor, another world, 1020 A.D.

Solt and Peppor were alone on the training grounds of Viper manor. There were many targets that served for archery and element using, wooden dummies for close-quarter weapons and a corral for acacia dragon training.

Peppor had been training hard all morning long. Still furious, he was striking with all his might focusing on one thing: this wasn't a dummy, it was the boy named Serge. Sweat was dripping on his forehead and his brown hair was already damp.

Next to him, his brother Solt was also training, but not with the same intensity. He was striking half-heartedly at another dummy.

"You know Peppor, maybe we should just forget it. These are no ordinary brats. They-they must be protected by the white dragon himself. They got away twice." Solt said, resting his halberd on the ground.

"The white dragon?" Roared Peppor, turning to his brother.

"White dragon or not, I'm not shaking any shit from a kid in diapers. I've studied their moves Solt, I've reorganized my elements and I've trained harder than ever. This time, I'm shaking gonna drill all of them a second asshole with my foot." Peppor yelled, returning to his training.

"But-but-but we had sir Karsh with us and…"

"Sir Karsh? Do you want to know where's your precious sir Karsh right now? I'm shaking gonna tell you. The lover-boy is probably busy winning the shaking tournament and hitting on some of his slutty admirers. That's what your precious Karsh is doing." Peppor yelled, still furious.

Then a massive man came toward them. He was wearing golden loins, a large black leather belt with matching gloves and sandals. His head was protected by a steel full helm. On his left shoulder was a circular piece of steel covered with sharp spikes. To his right arm was attached a steel buckler with equally sharp spikes.

"Hey you two!" yelled the man.

The two dragoon turned around and saluted.

"Sir Zoah." They both said.

"You're coming with me…now!" he said, not lowering his voice.

The two dragoons followed the man named Zoah without a word.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back from her trip to Termina, Riddel Viper had decided to take a bath in her private pool on the manor's roof to ease her mind and body. She had now changed and was heading for her room. When she got there, she found it surprising that it was unlocked. She slowly turned the knob and entered. Someone had pulled down the curtains and the room was very dark. She entered slowly, fear growing in her mind.

"Is someone there? Who is there?" she asked, in a slightly trembling voice.

There was no answer and Riddel slowly proceeded inside. Suddenly, the door closed behind her and the candles lit up. Riddel abruptly turned around to see the feline demi-human standing between her and the door, the only possible escape. The young woman gasped at the sight of her unexpected guest.

"Why, good-day, my lady. I was expecting you." The demi-human said, flashing his sharp canines.

"You? What are you doing here? What do you want?" she asked, her voice now filled with dread.

"I desire but a simple conversation with you my lady. Oh, but could it be that you do not want me here? How disappointing. You do not seem to appreciate my presence. I assure you that I wish nothing but a simple discussion with you, and don't worry, I made sure that your little friend will not interfere this time." He said in a very calm voice.

The demi-human was now walking toward Riddel while she was desperately walking backwards, away from her guest. After several steps, her back was now pressed against the cold wall. The demi-human was now at arm's length from her. The demi-human raised his arm to reach her face. Obeying only to her fear, she turned her head to the side, only resulting in exposing her delicate neck.

"I do not wish to talk to you." She said, swallowing nervously.

"You do not? He simply asked.

Riddel didn't answer and felt her breathing accelerating even more.

"Do not worry, I know why you feel uncomfortable around me. So much pure energy flows in your veins, so much dark energy flows through mine. We are like day and night. However, if we could be united, we could form a perfect entity. A complex, but flawless soul would emerge." He said, trailing a claw on her neck.

Riddel tried to scream, but no sound came from her mouth. Her eyes quickly began watering and closed. The demi-human's claw traveled from her neck to her exposed shoulder.

"I sense a desire to live within you… so strong, you do not wish to end this dream, you are still scared of death. It pulses through your body, it echoes like a distant sound." the demi-human said, still very calm.

Just then a knock was heard from the door. The demi-human stopped abruptly, but did not turn around. Riddel's gaze went to the door.

"Miss Riddel, are you there?" came Glenn's voice.

Riddel did not dare answer and the demi-human did not make a sound either.

"Miss Riddel? The door isn't locked, may I enter?"

Glenn slowly opened the door and was taken aback by the sight. He narrowed his eyes, trying to understand what was going on.

"What are you doing here?" Glenn said in a weak voice.

"Seems like we have a visitor." The demi-human said, not turning to face Glenn, looking straight into Riddel's eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, this time in a much louder voice.

The demi-human turned to face the young dragoon.

"There is no need to take such offence, dragoon. I was only having a conversation with the lady." He said, gesturing to Riddel.

"I don't think she wishes to have this conversation." Glenn replied.

"Such a mystery is human nature. Always sure to possess the only truth. What do you really know about this world. Always sure to peer through other spirits, to know their most intimate secrets. What do you really know about your best friend." The demi-human said, his face inches from Glenn's.

"Now you leave miss Riddel alone, because general's orders or not I'll…"

"The general's orders?" the demi-human mused, slightly amused, his head lolled to one side.

"Maybe you should reconsider this. Who do you really think is giving orders here, dragoon? Power is indeed a very fleeting concept. So hard to obtain, but so easy to see slipping right through your fingers. Maybe the general is simply not the man you think he is." He added, taking a moment to gaze at the floor, hands behind his back.

"I don't care about your nonsense. Leave her alone or I'll make you do." Glenn said, reaching for his sword.

"Weapons hardly solve anything at all. They can spill a lot of blood, but they can't control the mind. If you wish me to leave, I will do so… for now. However, we will finish this conversation, my lady." He said, turning to Riddel.

"I bid you good-day." He added, walking pas Glenn and exiting Riddel's room.

Glenn immediately rushed to Riddel, catching her before she collapsed to the ground and helped her to her bed. He helped her sit against the headrest and took a step back. Tears started to form in the young woman's eyes and she put a hand to her face to prevent them from trickling down her cheeks. Glenn kneeled next to her.

"What's wrong miss Riddel?" he asked softly.

"Oh for the white dragon's sake, Glenn, you know what's wrong." Her tone was now a mix a sorrow and anger.

"It all began when Dario died. These monsters then came here and started to talk dad into this nonsense about flames that grant wishes. They cast a veil of darkness on the manor. Everyone lives in fear now. Dad is completely obsessed about that flame, Karsh is so bitter and angry with everyone and… even you have changed Glenn. You seem distant, calling me miss Riddel or my lady.

"I know miss Riddel, but things have changed. We have all grown up. Now we have to abide by new rules." He said, lowering hid gaze.

"So you too think that it's all happening for the better." She asked, pleadingly.

"I didn't say that." Glenn replied, getting up.

"It was so much simpler when we were still young. Do you remember Glenn, when we were still young, the four of us, playing together. Our faces were not worn by worries. Everyone was so much happier. Dad's concern was the well-being of the land, not some flame that would grant him the glory of the past."

"I know it's hard for everyone, but do not worry, I won't let that Lynx harm you miss Riddel." He said, even if deep down inside he knew that Dario had always been the one to protect the others, especially Riddel.

"Thank you Glenn, but I don't think anybody will be safe as long as these _guests_ are here." Riddel said, looking at Glenn and then at the sheets of her bed.

"Yes, I'm afraid you're right." Glenn said, looking at the floor.

None of them said anything for a while. Starting to feel a bit awkward, Glenn decided that it was probably time for him to leave.

"Well, I'll have to leave now. I have a meeting with that dad of yours." Glenn said, giving her an understanding smile.

"It's okay Glenn, I'll see you later." Riddel said, returning the smile.

Glenn walked away from her and opened the door to leave.

"Goodnight Glenn." Riddel said, still smiling.

"Goodnight…Riddel." Glenn said, hoping no one had heard that.

"Once Glenn had closed the door behind him, Riddel slowly let herself slide on her bed to rest her head against her pillow. She soon felt very tired and closed her eyes. She quickly fell asleep, her mind finally finding a peaceful place to rest.

Shadow forest, another world, 1020 A.D.

It didn't take much time for Serge to figure out why this forest was called shadow forest. Many huge trees created a sort of ceiling that blocked most of the sunlight. On the ground only small plants grew. A small river leading to a lake emitted a peaceful sound. A few tree trunks were lying on the ground. The forest was very calm, only the sound of the river and a few birds were disturbing the silence. In the very center of the forest was a pond were water-lilies grew and frogs croaked. Moss had grown on almost every tree and rock.

The four companions were traveling in silence, paying close attention not to stumble on a tree root.

"It's really not the way I imagined it would be." Leena said, looking around.

"What do you mean?" Serge asked.

"Well, it's so peaceful and calm. Mom always forbade me to wander in the forest, saying it was really dangerous, but there doesn't seem to be anything dangerous here." She replied.

"Don't judge just by the appearances." Guile said, slightly turning his head to look at the rest of the party.

"Oi, yeah, there's surely a bunch of wild heckrans hiding behind that tree and waiting the right moment to brutally slaughter us."

"The type who's not afraid of anything, uh?" Guile said.

"Bloody right!"

Just then, Guile stopped abruptly, raising his chin to look at the top of what seemed to be a huge tree that rested on four trunks. The three teenagers began observing their surroundings, realizing that the tree was blocking their way.

"Oi, what the hell's this?"

"This is the strangest tree I've ever seen." Leena said, placing a head on the odd vegetal.

"Hey, listen to this!" Serge called, pressing his ear against the tree.

"This-this tree's snoring!"

"Oi, the sun must have burned your bloody brain badly mate." Kid said, pressing her own ear against the tree.

"Well, we'll have to do something about it. We have to find a way around." Leena

said.

As for Guile, he was still gazing at the tree, but he was now holding his staff with both hands.

"Oi, mate, I must have the same disease you caught. I hear it too!"

"See, it must be sleeping or something."

"Oi, then I'm gonna wake this thing up and tell it to get the bloody hell out of our way mate." Kid said, reaching for her dagger.

However, Guile's staff denied her access to her weapon. Kid stared at him, frowning.

"Oi, what are you doing mate?" She said, struggling to get the man's staff out of her way.

"I strongly recommend against this. This is no tree. It's a Quaffid. Very dangerous." He said, stressing every syllable.

"Oi, maybe, but it's sleeping in my way, and I'm not taking that."

"It's not sleeping, it's hunting."

The three teenagers turned to Guile with a puzzled look on their faces.

"It's pretending to be asleep while waiting for a prey to get close enough and then…" he stopped still gazing upwards, then made a clapping sound with his teeth, bringing his gaze to his companions' level.

"Oi, so, how are we supposed to get pass through this mouth on stilts.

Guile then produced a small pouch from his pocket and held it in his hand. He slowly opened the pouch and a blue powder began emanating. After a while, a rustling came from a bush. A small yellow creature emerged from the bush and began walking toward the source as if hypnotized by the scent. Guile then gestured for his comrades to follow him away from the Quaffid as he left the pouch on the ground. The party was observing from afar as the small creature was advancing toward the velvet bag. Once it had reached its goal, a loud noise echoed and the Quaffid moved. The small creature quickly fled but was easily caught by its predator a few feet further. Only Guile was unmoved as fragile bones easily gave under the pressure of gigantic jaws.

"The laws of nature are cruel." He simply said.

The monster then lowered its head again, waiting for another prey. Guile left the cover, followed by Serge, Kid and Leena. The three teenagers kept gazing at the titan for as long as they could, but turned their heads once it was hidden by even greater trees.

After a while of walking, the group reached a huge oak, rooted in the middle of a small glade.

"Hold it right there!" bellowed a voice.

The group looked around to see where the voice was coming from. They all spotted a huge man, wearing golden loins, a full helmet and combat sandals perched on a high branch.

"You're not going any further!" the man yelled.

"I'm afraid we'll have to decline the offer." Guile said in a slightly mocking tone.

The man jumped down and landed perfectly. Then from behind the tree came Solt and Peppor. The three looked at Serge's party with a determined look on their faces.

"Ha! So that's the kid in diapers who bested Karsh. Did he fell asleep during the fight, cause that's the only way a gnat like you could have done that!" the man roared.

"Oi, look at the friend lanky and fatso brought. I bet he'll deflate like a bloody balloon with one scratch."

"And here's the rest of the kindergarten. You even brought a nanny. How touching. Looks like you're all going back to your crib now."

"This time you reallyly really are going to eat your words." Solt said.

"What about going back to your gym and doing a few push-ups, I think your arms are starting to lose their pump."

"Oh is that so? I'm sure we can do something about it!" the man said, hurling himself at Serge.

Zoah, spun around and brought his spiked buckler on Serge, who was barely about to deflect the blow, having trouble with the weight of his new swallow. Zoah's massive fist then connected with Serge's middle section. Serge coiled and was forced several steps away from his opponent. Guile then placed himself between Serge and Zoah.

"Looks like the nanny's gonna talk me round. Did the big bad bully beat up baby boy after class?"

While Serge was slowly recovering from the blow, Kid, Leena, Solt and Peppor were now engaged in a two on two fight a couple of feet away from him. Peppor was standing in front of Kid while Solt was facing Leena.

"Oi, party of yellow innates only? I didn't know you could be even dumber than you look. We'll just have to pelt away green elements at you" Kid said, smiling mockingly.

One of the green beads socketed in Kid's dagger lost its glow and Kid directed her gaze toward her opponent, but a disappointed look came across her face.

"Oi, what the…?"

"Ha! You didn't really think we wouldn't have learned from our previous encounters? We used anti-green elements over the area. This time, you're in for some real trouble missy." Peppor said, running his thumb on the blade of his axe.

Leena seemed scared by Peppor's affirmation, but Kid didn't look impressed at all.

"Oi, so you think I'm gonna need elements to beat you up once more?"

"Beat us up once more? This time _you_ are going to get beaten badlyly badly." Solt said, gripping his halberd firmly.

Kid said nothing and just stood there gazing at them, smiling.

"What so funnily funny?" Solt asked.

"Oi nothing…" Kid said, looking down at her dagger.

"Just you!" Kid said, diving in a cartwheel at lightning speed and landing behind Peppor.

The shorter dragoon spun around and saw Kid resting against the great oak with his helm on her head. He quickly touched the top of his head and understood that he wasn't dreaming.

"Soldier, I command you to kiss my arse and say you're a rotten squid." Kid said, grinning.

"Y-Y-you insolent brat ! I'm gonna turn you into a shaking sliced up sausage." Peppor said, his face turning red.

Peppor began swinging his axe fiercely at Kid who was able to dodge the blows, but was surprised by the new speed of her opponent.

Leena was now firing a volley of elements at Solt who kept miraculously dodging them. Leena wasn't doing any real damage at all, but at least it kept her opponent at a distance.

_I'd better find a real strategy here. I'm able to keep him away, but soon enough I'll have ran out of elements…_

Serge having recovered, he had stepped up to battle again and he was forming a triangle with Guile and Zoah. Serge and Guile kept throwing blows, but the deva was able to dodge them by retreating a little further every time. Serge and Guile were trying to find a way to corner him, but not to avail, they were in a glade and the only obstacle in sight was the big oak, which their opponent was very aware of.

Serge brought his swallow down three times in a row, but not a single attack came even close to landing. The weight of his new weapon was definitely affecting his performance. Serge was getting frustrated to see such a big mammoth being faster than him and decided to use a very dangerous tactic. He spun around and went for a heavy damaging diagonal slice without knowing if there was an opening. His opponent quickly seized the opportunity and grabbed the handle of Serge's weapons between his hands. Zoah then used his other massive fist to land a powerful punch on Serge's jaw. It popping sound was heard and Serge clutched his right cheek only to leave an opening for Zoah to land a clean cut with his spiked buckler on the boy's left arm.

Serge was pushed several feet away by the impact and collapsed to the ground. Zoah laughed loudly, re-positioning himself to fight Guile. Aware of his opponent's greater agility, Guile decided in favour of another tactic. He raised his wand in front of him and muttered something. Zoah then found himself surrounded by wands.

"I hope you like magic tricks." Guile said, staring straight at Zoah.

"What's this? You think you're gonna impress me with a mystery box?"

"Forty rods, one of them is the real one. Pick wisely or you'll be sorry." Guile told his opponent.

Zoah just stood there for a moment, as if he was clueless as to what to do. Then he closed his right fist and whirled around extremely fast, knocking away all of the rods at once, which all turned into a sharp sword except for one. Guile raised his right hand to seize his rod, grimacing.

Meanwhile, Kid and Leena were in trouble. Kid was starting to feel tired, dodging so many powerful blows, but Peppor wasn't showing the slightest hint of fatigue. Sweat was pouring down his face, but his moves were just as fast and solid as the first he used. Leena now had only two elements left and her body was covered in bruises caused by Solt's elements.

Kid had resorted to throwing Peppor's helmet right back at him, but the manoeuvre had only seemed to further irritate him. Even though he was using wild swings, Kid was unable to get an opening to strike. She was now bearing two cuts on each arm and was struggling to maintain her grip on her weapon, which seemed to weaken each time she deflected a blow.

Leena and Solt had both ran out of elements and Leena knew that she would now have to face her opponent's halberd with but a frying pan. Solt was aware of the situation and was advancing threateningly toward her.

Peppor's axe went down in a furious blow and this time Kid's grip gave out. Her dagger flew right out of her hand. Peppor stood there for a moment, savouring his victory. However, Kid hadn't given up yet and was still staring defiantly at her adversary.

"Oi, I didn't want to resort to this, but ya leave me no choice." She said, panting.

Peppor stared at her while she placed her fists behind her back and closed her eyes as she brought them back in front of her face. The dragoon suddenly had the impression that the air was heating up.

_An inferno…? No shaking way, that brat can't use that kind of element…_

Peppor started to look around, searching for the cause of the phenomenon. Shocking sounds were then heard, sounds of a heavy armour being penetrated by metal objects. He gritted his teeth as hundreds of burning needles entered his flesh. He stood there for several seconds, his body convulsing under the impacts, his eyes wide, grimacing in pain.

Leena was retreating, desperately trying to find a way to take out the tall dragoon. Solt was now within striking distance and had raised his halberd. Leena raised her pan in the air, expecting a fierce blow that would probably knock it out of her hand, but it never came. Solt stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening, teeth gritting, letting out sounds of pain as burning needles pierced his armour and then his flesh.

Solt and Peppor fell to their knees, breathing with difficulty, eyes wide, arms hanging down their sides. Unable to stand it anymore, they both collapsed and fell face first in the mud. A thread of smoke was emanating from every tiny hole that had been dug in the steel armour.

Kid's and Leena's gazes turned to the other fighters. Serge was now on one knee, grunting in pain, but unable to speak due to his broken jaw. Guile was standing in front of Zoah.

"I hope you've got a big dragon in that hat, card flipper, 'cause otherwise it's the sabre box for you, and I always miss that trick, so there's no chance you're coming out in one piece." Zoah bellowed.

"Yes, I do have one last trick for you." Guile promptly answered.

The magician placed one hand on top of his rod and one under the handle. He brought them together, the wand vanishing.

"That's all you can do, seems like…" his voice trailed off and Zoah clutched his abdomen.

The deva looked down grunting in pain. The top of Guile's wand came out of his opponent's stomach and the deva fell to his knees, holding the magical weapons with both hands. Guile raised a hand and the wand flew out of his opponent. Blood gushed from the wound and the man collapsed. The mud turned a dark red, almost black, around him.

The battle was over and the survivors were standing around Serge.

"His jaw's broken. I can do something, but we need to bring him away from here. The anti-green field prevents me from doing so." Guile said, looking at Serge's jaw.

Serge was still able to walk and traveled several feet away from the battle field, agonizing all the way there. Guile then raised his wand and a green bead became dark. Guile's hands were bathed in a lasting green light. He raised his wand again and Serge was covered in green light. The pain diminished a lot, but he still had trouble communicating with words.

"He's going to be okay. The injury isn't fully healed, but the recovery will be much faster." Guile added.

Leena put her backpack back on the ground, opened it and produced some bandages. She wrapped some around Kid's arms while she was looking all around her. She noticed the rare sunrays that reached the ground had become more horizontal.

"Oi, what time do you think it is?"

"Oh, do not worry, we're not very far from the manor now, we should even reach it before sunset." Guile answered.

Serge was poking at the ground silently when he heard shrill howls. He frantically turned his head from side to side, still grimacing from the pain, trying to find the source of these strange sounds.

"Cassowaries…" Guile muttered.

"Oi, cassowhat?"

"Demons, they begin hunting when the sun starts lowering. We'd better not stay here. C'mon!" He said, hastily getting up.

They were walking as fast as possible through the thickening forest. Branches were scratching every face, arm and leg that passed through the trees. The group was struggling to keep moving through the forest that was now opposing more resistance.

"So, there are really demons here?" Leena asked

"Well, I thought cassowaries to be extinct, but it appears they aren't. Barbaric creatures that hunt in groups, often wielding weapons. They usually devour their prey alive." The magician answered, tossing branches aside with his wand.

"Gosh, now I understand why mom told me the forest is so dangerous."

"Oi, bloody hell, why do we flee like that? I'd bet I can kick their arses too."

"Because I can't protect three kids like you against a horde of demons." Guile said in a tone that clearly suggested this conversation was over.

Serge and Leena felt a little ashamed of themselves, recognizing their leader was partly right. Kid, on the other hand was pissed off and considered Guile to be lucky she was busy trying to make a way for herself through branches that kept becoming more and more numerous.

Guile then came to a halt and began inspecting the ground.

"Oi, now what?"

Guile didn't answer and kept looking down. Spotting a water trickle, Guile pushed the leaves aside with his rod, revealing the entrance of a cave. He entered, followed by the other travelers.

The trickle had evolved in a small river and was leading the group through a narrow cave. It was totally empty and the only sound was that of the water, water that flowed around their feet and dropped from the stalactites that hung above their heads. The group then came to a dead-end and stopped.

"Oi, great! Now what are we gonna do?

"We wait. We reached our goal, now we just wait here for the sun to disappear under the horizon." Guile said, the tip of his rod producing a spark of light that illuminated a ladder. The three teenagers looked at him, interrogation spread on their faces.

"We now stand on the very bottom of a dried-up well that rests on the Viper manor grounds."

The four companions then sat down and waited for the night to come in silence.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9 : Intruders in Viper Manor**

The sky was now dark and the party had decided that it was time to take action. Serge's head slowly emerged from the old well. Carefully, he placed his hands on the stone rim and took a look around. Serge spotted a moving projector light and guards posted on every door. He also saw that many bushes were growing right next to the walls.

"You tell us when it's safe to move! It's your call mate!" Kid said in a muffled voice.

Serge then spotted three patrolling dragoons and quickly hid his head. He slowly raised it again and saw that the path was now clear.

"Now!" he called, stepping out of the well without a sound.

His three companions did the same and rapidly proceeded to hide behind a nearby object. All of them were waiting in silence for the green projector light to move away so they could reach the bushes that bordered the walls.

In the sky, the stars were shining brightly and the two moons were full. Serge also spotted a dark figure flying high above. Viper Manor was much more impressive when seen from so close. It was definitely a stronghold. Surrounded by ramparts on all sides and with seven towers with loopholes, it was clearly made to support a siege. However, one of the towers was isolated from the rest of the building and was only connected by a bridge.

The projector light had now moved away and Serge and hi friends had now reached the bushes. They were almost jumping from bush to bush to avoid being seen. Toward the middle of the course, Leena's dress got caught in a branch. She managed to pull free, but accidentally broke the branch and a snapping sound was heard. The rest of the party all turned their heads only to see another green light coming toward them at full speed. Leena just had time to retreat behind the bush. The light eventually left and they were able to continue.

Upon reaching the main door, Guile, who was now leading the party, spotted two guards. He took a bottle and two towels from his pocket, poured a liquid on the towels and gestured to Serge for what to do next. They both crawled to reach two massive pillars. In a swift motion they each grabbed a guard and pressed a towel against their mouth. The ether took no time in taking them to never-never land.

The girls rejoined them in front of the great oak doors.

"Locked." Guile said, running his hands on them.

"Oi, no big deal!" Kid said, taking a hairpin from her hair and inserting it in the keyhole.

She fidgeted with the small metal object for a few moments and a clicking sound was heard. Guile quickly pressed his ear against the door to know if there had been a reaction inside. No sound came and he slowly opened the door. The four proceeded to carefully enter. Seeing that there were no guards here, they took a moment to breathe before continuing.

"Alright now, I strongly recommend that you all place your hands in your pockets and to keep them there, because every object in there is probably booby-trapped." Guile said, turning to his companions.

"Oi, whose hands just allowed you to enter _in there_ mate?" Kid said, slightly irritated by the suggestion.

"Alright, but you only look with eyes, got it?" Guile replied.

"Oi, do you think I'm here as a bloody tourist mate? I need something that's here, and I'm gonna take it!"

"It's your life, but don't you scream for my help if you get in trouble."

Kid chose to ignore that last remark and told herself that she certainly wouldn't need help anyway.

The main room of the first floor was huge and almost everything was red or gold. Eight massive pillars supported the ceiling from which several torches were hung to light the place. A luxurious red carpet covered the floor and velvet couches were placed along the walls. Several torches were also hanging from the walls.

"You know, I could sure get used to living here." Serge said in awe.

"Oi, I know, but we're not here to stay, remember mate? Cuz, if it's the case, it'll probably be on the floor below, the dungeons, you know." Kid instantly replied.

Three entrances led to the main room, one on each side, which were blocked by a metal grate. Guile decided that it was probably not worth investigating the first floor and turned his gaze to the only entrance left. It consisted of two massive doors, very similar to those they had just came across. The party followed Guile to them, only to find that they had no knob, nor keyhole.

"Bloody hell, how are we gonna get through?"

"I guess we have no other choice." Guile said, slowly approaching his hands from a big golden statue of a snake that stood right next to the door.

He turned the statue three times to the left and then three times to the right. At first nothing seemed to happen and Guile was left with a puzzled look on his face. Just then, the floor was robbed from under their feet and they landed hard against the floor below.

"Oh, Serge, are you alright?" Leena said, removing her frying pan from his face.

"Yeah, I'm alright." He said, getting up and realizing that they were now caged.

Just next to them, Kid was now doing an imitation of Guile, saying how every object was probably booby-trapped.

"Quiet!" Guile called to everybody.

Footstep noises were coming from a nearby staircase. Four acacia dragoons came from the stairs and took position around the cage.

"Well, look what fell from the sky. It's the bratty team and their nanny." One of them said, placing his hands against the cage, fingers protruding through the bars.

"Wonder what the general wants with those." Another spoke, a suspicious look on his face.

"Who cares? Hey, maybe the two lasses could provide us with some suitable entertainment until the general comes for them." A third dragoon answered.

Serge and Leena cast the dragoons a pissed off look while Guile's eyes were already searching the whole metal structure for a weak point. Kid, however, turned to the side and chuckled to herself, casting a furtive glance at the armoured soldiers.

"What's so funny?" He asked, his smile vanishing under his helmet.

"Oi, you dragoons are a bunch of dag-nuts."

"What the fuck? I'm gonna show who whose a dag-nut." The first replied, drawing his sword.

"Hey, take it easy, man, the general said we must not hurt them."

"So you're afraid of us, eh? Chick-en!" Kid said, approaching the bars, arms crossed over her chest, chin tucked and staring straight at the first dragoon.

"Now that's it! Open it up, I'm gonna slice up this one's tongue. The general will probably not notice." He said in a mocking tone.

"Woah, man, don't be taken by her fast talk." The fourth said, grabbing the first one's arm.

The first dragoon pushed his comrade aside and grabbed the key from the wall. He then opened the cage and held his sword in front of himself.

"So, up for a lesson, brat?"

Before Kid could make a move for her dagger, Guile pushed her aside and pointed the tip of his rod against the dragoon's face. A blue gas emanated from the wand and began filling the room. Guile protected his face with his clothing and the three teenagers did the same. Unable to copy the manoeuvre because of their helmet, the dragoons soon fell asleep under the effect of the gas.

Once the gas had dissipated the group exited the cage.

"Quick! Grab the armours and putt hem on." Guile said, removing a dragoon's helmet. 

Everyone began removing the equipment of a dragoon and donning them.

"I don't know about you guys, but I feel like a perfect ass-hole." Serge said, fully clothed as a dragoon.

"Bloody right mate! Plus you're now wearing a dress." Kid said, teasingly.

"The appropriate word actually is _loins._" Guile said, trying not to sound too much like a know-it-all.

"Alright, Mr. smart-ass."

Having put on all pieces of equipment but the helmet, Leena now appeared very uncomfortable. She was grimacing while looking at herself.

"Oi, don't worry girl, they don't make you look bigger."

"Uh, it's not that, they're just really heavy, I mean I'll never be able to fight with these on." Leena said, holding a helmet with both hands.

"Don't worry, with these on, chances are we'll be able to investigate without being bothered at all." Guile explained.

"Oi, by the way, you never mentioned what you were seeking here mate." Kid said, looking at Guile.

"I'm looking for someone… someone I've lost." He answered, turned his back to her, signalling he wouldn't explain further for now.

Guile stood in the middle of the room considering the three exits.

_These stairs surely lead to the dungeons… probably not there…_

"Alright, we'll have to split up. Serge and I will take the door on the right, girls you'll take the left. We meet in the main room upstairs, and remember, our only way to access the upper-most floor is to learn the code of that rotating snake, so be on the look-out for hints." Guile said.

The group split up and each party proceeded to open a metal grate that led to a hallway covered by a red carpet and lit by torches on the walls.

Serge and Guile came to a first wooden door on which was carved a wooden viper. Guile pressed his ear against the door. After a few minutes of hearing nothing but snoring, he decided to slowly turn the knob. Upon hearing a clicking sound, he quickly put his ear against the door again. Snoring still heard, he pushed the door open and went inside. Serge silently closed the door behind him and stepped forward.

The room consisted of a simple bed, drawers, a desk with papers and a pen and a red velvet couch on which was sleeping a female jester in a red and blue outfit.

Guile was walking toward her at a steady pace. He stopped right in front of the couch, smoothly kneeled next to the jester and began scrutinizing her visage.

"Se taire…Pleaze, shut up…" she mumbled in her sleep, rolling on her side.

Guile instantly stood up and headed for the door, gesturing for Serge to follow him. The next door hoisted a silver viper. Guile pressed his ear to listen once more and heard nothing. He tried to open the door, but found that it was locked. The two headed for the last door, but were taken aback when they sat it open. Serge felt really uneasy when he saw Karsh coming out of the door. The deva walked out and stopped, taking a second to gaze at the wall. He then directed his eyes to Serge and Guile.

"Hey you, two, we need two more on patrol on the east rampart. You're up!" he said.

Not taking his eyes off of them, Karsh then turned his body and walked right to them.

_That's odd, the shorter one seems vaguely familiar…_

"You what's your name?" He asked in a inquisitive tone, eyes narrowing, looking straight at Serge.

"Green, Dwayne Green, sir!" Serge answered, trying to make his voice sound different.

_That's even better, I don't recall anyone of that name…maybe one of those mercenaries hired by that freak…_

Serge now felt really hot inside his armour. Sweat was forming massively on his back and face.

Then another dragoon came to Karsh and saluted.

"Sir Karsh, the general is waiting for you."

Karsh slowly turned to the man and then brutally grabbed him by the collar.

"Then get your ass outta here and go tell him I'm coming." He screamed, his face inches from the dragoon's.

"Y-Yes sir!" the soldier said, saluting again.

The dragoon hurried away and Karsh turned to follow him at a slower pace before stopping again. Serge began feeling relief, but Karsh wasn't through with him yet.

"Soldier! Your shift's still waiting and we're not paying you to mop around the place. Get your ass working…Now!" he yelled, only turning his head.

Serge and Guile both spun on their ankles and walked away at a swift pace. Satisfied with this, Karsh left. Once they were confident that Karsh was at a safe distance, they both walked back to the hallway to inspect the last room with a silver viper.

"This is indeed the room of a high-rank soldier." Guile commented.

The room was impeccable. Everything was in order. A few weapons were hanging on the wall. Serge's eyes came to notice a picture on the desk. It showed a boy and a girl smiling brightly. The boy walked to the desk to get a better view.

"Whoa, man…" he muttered.

"Mmh? What is it?" Guile asked.

"That's Nikki on the picture."

"Who?"

"Geez, man, you've been living secluded on an island or what? Nikki! The world's most famous guitarist."

"Oh, you mean that rock star everybody's crazy about? Yeah, I heard about him." Guile replied, taking absolutely no interest in Serge's finding.

For a moment, Serge was tempted to just grab the picture, but then saw the girl on the photo and decided against it.

Guile was busy opening drawers and looking for something. Serge could see that he was very careful not to leave any hints of his presence. He took out a small pouch and handed it to Serge.

"Something tells me this rooms belongs to a blue innate." He said, still rummaging.

Serge opened the bag and poured several shining beads, all blue. He gave it back to Guile who replaced it cautiously.

"Well, nothing interesting here. Let's go upstairs and hope the girls were luckier than us with that code."

They left the room and climbed the stairs that led to the golden viper and the keyholeless doors.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kid and Leena were on their own and took the left hallway. Kid was really happy not to have Guile to constantly tell her what to do. Leena, however, was rather nervous at the idea of investigating the manor with the blonde. Kid's unpredictable temper was bound to put them in trouble. They came to a first wooden door and entered.

Beds were aligned against the wall as well as small bedside tables, most decorated with a few pictures. A large dinning table was set in the middle of the room were two dragoons were conversing. There were crates, barrels and chests in every corner. Weapons were resting against most walls and the room was lit by many torches that hung from those same stone walls. Most soldiers were sitting or lying in silence on their beds.

The sounds of footsteps created by Kid's and Leena's metal boots against the stone floor echoed quietly as they wandered around the room, trying not to sound suspicious. Then a young man with blonde hair and a cross-shaped scar on the cheek approached one the dragoons sitting at the table.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" the dragoon yelled at the young man.

"It's four times to the left and six times to the right." He added, now whispering.

A few feet away from there, Kid was smiling in triumph under her helmet. She turned to Leena, expressing that their search for the code was now over. Then the blonde's head turned once more as her senses were stimulated once again.

_Bloody hell, what's this smell… awesome, soup, meat, fresh bread… someone's cooking here… and I'm so hungry my stomach could digest itself…_

Kid began following the trail of the delicious smell followed by Leena who was growing even more nervous seeing that Kid was clearly not satisfied of finding the code.

_Now what…? Oh, this time, I'm sure she'll get us in trouble…_

Kid was now peeking in a room busting with activity. The chef and his assistants were obviously very busy preparing what would be tomorrow's breakfast. She was wondering how to get her hands on some of this food without getting caught when she spotted Leena.

"Oi Leena, come over here, quick!"

When the girl was within reaching distance, Kid grabbed her and pushed her through the door. Shocked by what just happened, Leena just stood there for a moment until the chef turned around, still holding a very sharp cleaver I his right hand,

"Hey whatcha want? Forget it man, no food before morning, now get out and don't cha try to sneak and steal some or I'll carve those fingers of cha with this cleaver." He said, threateningly.

Leena was petrified, but slowly walked out of the room, her mind filled with dread at the idea of what the man had in store for her. While all of this was going on, Kid had sneaked through the hatch and had managed to steal some bread and meat. When Leena turned and saw Kid with her arms filled with food, she was fulminating.

"Hey, did you lost your fricking mind?" she said, through gritted teeth.

"Oi, take it easy girl, I knew bloody well he wouldn't really hurt you, plus now we've got some food."

"Yeah, great, you just almost traded my life to fill your stomach, so hooray, we've got food." She said, furiously grabbing a loaf of bread from Kid's arm.

Leena looked around to make sure no one was watching before removing her helmet to chew angrily at the bread. Next to her, Kid was eating as if she was relaxing on the beach.

Once they were finished, they got up and left the room. A few feet further, Kid stopped again to look at a door guarded by two dragoons and marked with an inscription.

_Bloody hell, the vault… It's bound to be here…_

She directed herself toward the door followed by a Leena who was barely able to control her anger.

_Now that's it, I'm gonna have her eat my fry pan, that's bound to fill that dang stomach of hers without making me fingerless…_

Approaching the guards, Kid was trying to come up with an idea to send them away.

"Oi, you two, Karsh wants to see you right now, we're taking over guard duty." Kid said, trying to change her voice.

"Hmm… If you're under sir Karsh's under, you must know the password, so spit it out, what is it?" one of the dragoons asked in a challenging tone.

Kid was mentally kicking herself in the shin for such a stupid mistake and just stood there trying to figure how to get out of that one. After a few moments of silence the dragoon spoke again.

"Alright, you got it, the password is silence." The dragoon said, his tone showing disappointment.

The guards left and Kid was standing, smiling from ear to ear. She slowly proceeded inside, savouring her victory, followed by Leena who was eager to let out some more anger, once alone with Kid in the vault.

Kid was now standing in front of a very impressive collection of treaures. Vases, gems, weapons, armours, portraits, jewels and chests filled with gold coins were everywhere in the room.

"Now you are going too far, this obsession with treasure is sick, you're gonna get us both killed. What are you thinking?" Leena said, trying to keep her voice low.

"Nah, the frozen flame ain't here." Kid said, her chin coming to rest against her chest.

For the first time in her life, Kid was disappointed in a room filled with riches. Turning her head, she then spotted a huge diamond socketed in the wall. She extended her arm, half-heartedly at first. Realizing it wouldn't come off, Kid decided to apply more pressure. Seeing this, Leena quickly reached for Kid's arm but was too late. The floor had toppled over and the two girls found themselves in an object they had experienced before: a cage.

Around them were many objects that were totally unfamiliar to Leena. Vials, flasks and stills filled with strange liquids, a blackboard with strange writings and other cages with unknown creatures.

"Don't worry, just a minor slip-off, but look we got the diamond." Kid said, trying to sound convincing.

_Diamond…? she risked our lives for a diamond…?_

Leena was about to scream at Kid when she heard the door open. Both girls stopped and turned to see who would be coming in.

A tall and thin woman with purple hair, glasses on her nose and clad in white entered the room. Her eyes instantly went to her new captives.

"Hmmm… You are not really dragoon, are you?"

"Well, let's just say we are uninvited guests." Kid blurted.

"I see. I do not vish to harm you. Just kom out." The woman said, opening the grate.

"I am tze scientific genius ov tze manor, please call me Luccia." She added, turning her back to them.

"Lucca…?" Kid muttered.

Luccia sharply turned around.

"Oh, no, no, no, not to be confounded with my old friend Dr. Lucca Ashtear. The poor woman, she disappeared vithout leaving traces… but it zertainly is of no conzern to you."

Kid tried not to shoe her disappointment, but her gaze fell to the floor.

"Um, well, thanks for helping us." Leena said.

"oh, hoho hoho, vho said anyzing about helping. You vill be my ginea pigs." She said, walking toward a cage that contained a small white and plink creatures that resembled a dog.

Luccia opened the cage and the creature jumped to the floor, looking at Kid and Leena.

"Attack, Pip!" she screamed, but the creature remained still.

Kid and Leena were a bit afraid at first, but were reassured when they saw how harmless it was.

Disappointed, Luccia splashed the content at Kid and screamed for Pip to attack again. This time, the angelic creature jumped viciously at Kid who fell on her back. Luckily, Kid's armour protected her from bites and scratches. Leena however seemed to find this a bit amusing and enjoyed seeing that for once she wasn't the one paying for Kid's total lack of judgment.

_Ha…! Serves her right… For once she got what she deserved for putting us in so much trouble…_

After a while, Luccia threw the flask in the cage and the creature instantly left Kid to take on every bar of the cage while Luccia re-closed the grate.

"Vonderful, this exceeds my exzpectations. I have some vork now, I must put input dis data for future study. You may leafe now." She said, turning to a large table on which were spread several sheets of paper.

Leena was glad to hear this but Kid seemed reluctant to leave.

"Oi, y-you said you know Lucca Ashear?" she said, voice filled with hope.

Luccia slowly turned to face her.

"Vell… yes, a little. Ve corresponded for a few years about a project. I do not really know her personally, but I think she ran an orphanage on tze mainland. Eventually, she stopped to vrite. I later learned zhat she had vanished, not leaving traces. All tzis happened a couple years ago, so I dot remember all tze details.

"I see…" Kid then headed for the door accompanied by Leena.

There was only one door left. Kid tried to open it, but it was locked.

"Alright, let's just go now, the guys are probably waiting for us." Leena said, trying to drag Kid away from the door.

"Oi, wait a second, I want to know what's behind that door." Kid said, taking her hairpin and inserting it in the keyhole.

After a while of working the pin in, the door still gave no sign of giving out.

"Bugger, what kind of door izat…"

Kid was getting frustrated and even kicked the door loudly. Seeing this, Leena quickly grabbed Kid and managed to get her away away from the door.

"Okay, take it easy, it's just a door, plus we've already got the code and that stupid diamond that really put us in a jam, so let's just go." Leena said, pushing Kid toward the stairs.

Kid threw one last glance at the door, but eventually decided to follow Leena.

Upstairs they spotted Serge and Guile who had obviously been waiting for them.

"See, what I told you, fifteen minutes to explore the place and two hours for gossip, make-up and other forms of socialization." Serge said, chuckling.

"Oi, and I suppose you also got the code after your game of pool, guys." Kid said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.

"Well… no." Serge said sheepishly.

"Well that's too bad, because we have it and we're so busy gossiping that I don't think we'll have time to share it with you guys." Leena said.

"Alright, alright, no more misogynist comments. So, what's that code." Guile said, seeing it was time for this argument to end.

Serge was now turning the golden snake while Kid was showing off her gem to Guile.

"So, not bad for an hour of gossiping, uh?"

"Yeah, that's a very nice zircon." Guile said, taking only a quick glance at the stone.

"Oi, what was that?"

"I said it's a very nice Zircon." Guile said, grinning.

"I can recognize a diamond when I see one, and that's a bloody diamond." Kid said, her temper rising.

Guile just shook his head in discouragement and proceeded to the oak doors. Serge had entered the code and they had begun to open. Behind them was a set of stairs covered with some more red carpet.

Once atop the stairs, Leena was really feeling the weight of her armour and was left panting, hands on her knees.

"Wow, I'm really not cut for the army, I guess." She said, still breathing fast.

The next room was just as large as the entrance room and was also covered with red carpet. Eight massive pillars supported the ceiling as well as torches that illuminated the room. There were many tall windows or every wall, each with a stained glass portraying a snake.

Turning his head all around, Serge spotted three other entrances. Two were small metal grates, of which one was guarded by a huge yellow mechanical creature that stood almost twelve feet tall. The last one was exactly like the one they came from except there appeared to be no golden snake to turn. Guile was there first, searching high and low for a way to open them. After several minutes, he eventually decided to call it quit and retraced his steps.

"I guess we have no choice." He said, shrugging.

"Hey, do you know what's this thing exactly? I've never seen anything like this before." Leena asked, pointing to the huge guard.

"Let's just leave not disturb that one." Guile said, turning to the non-guarded grate.

"Oi , she didn't ask whether to take on it or not, she asked what it was?" Kid said, just as curious as Leena.

"Well it's called a cyborg I believe. Some kind of technology developed by Porre. The dragoons must have stolen the information with spies or something."

"Uh…" Kid said, raising an eyebrow, apparently not satisfied with the explanation but agreeing to take the other grate anyway.

The door led them outside on a bridge that stood high above the ground. It led to the isolated tower, which was much taller than the others. The night was still very quiet and only the sound of crickets could be heard. There was not a cloud in the sky and the moons were still shining brightly. Serge took his time to cross the bridge, noticing how big the celestial bodies appeared from there.

"Oi, perfect time for a romantic walk under the moons, eh, mate?" Kid said, poking Serge in the ribs.

"I might as well _accidentally _push you off the bridge." Serge said, smiling.

"Oi, I'd like ta see that." She replied, also grinning.

Once on the other side, Serge pushed open a wooden door and found himself in what appeared to be a library. There were thousands of books on shelves that almost reached the ceiling. A spiral staircase was leading to another floor on which was a desk full of open books.

They climbed the stairs and found themselves facing the desk. However, they had quite a shock when they saw a young woman of about twenty years old raising from behind the books. She was clad in a pink silk dress covered by a leather garment and her golden hair was tied up in two meatballs.

"So, like, what are you doing here? Dragoons are allowed up here, you know."

"Uh, we're, uh…" Serge tried to explain.

"You're not dragoons, now, are you?" She asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"We'll, we're, uh…" Serge was still fumbling with words.

"Who are you?" She snapped, drawing a short sword and bringing it to the narrow unprotected area of Serge's neck in a flash.

"Take off your helmet! Slowly! The rest of you too!" She said, not lowering her voice.

Serge took off his helmet as instructed as did his mates.

"Marcy! Who's there?" Called an old voice from above.

"Spies from Porre. Don't worry, I'm taking care of them." Marcy called back, sword still pointed at Serge's neck.

The old man then slowly came down a ladder to meet Serge. He was wearing a gold and blue tunic with a matching hat. His visage was covered by a Long grey beard, moustache and thick eyebrows. It seemed that this man had lived for much longer than he appeared. Once face to face with Serge, he took a long moment to observe him, eyes narrowed.

"Yes… yes, you must be Serge. My, how you have grown, time sure flies here."

"Like, can I kill them, now?" Marcy said, her sword now lowered, impatience growing in her mind.

"Patience, child… patience. I need to have a word with these people. Please wait outside." The man answered.

Marcy spun on her heels, still determined to dispose of Serge. She left the library, waiting expectantly on the bridge for Serge to come out.

"Excuse me, but who are you? And how so you know Serge? Leena asked.

"Yeah, who are you? Have we… met before?" Serge asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Hmmm… How could I explain this…? I guess you could call me the prophet of time." The old man said, his hand trailing down his beard.

"Now, listen carefully, we do not have much time." He added, pushing aside the books from the table and taking a green pyramid-shaped gem.

The man simply let go of the object in mid-air, but to Serge's surprise, it simply levitated between him and the old man. The gem then seemed to dissolve, forming an image that took the shape of El Nido.

"The world is not a single entity. Another world similar to our own exists in another dimension. There you will what you might have become, a world of possibilities, that might have existed, a whole history that has not been written yet. It is out there, somewhere… We are simply unable to see, feel or experience it."

The image had split in twain, showing to archipelagos, looking almost exactly the same.

"Serge… This world is not the world you grew up in. Ten years ago, something that put your very soul teetering on the balancing scales of fate happened… With a fifty-fifty chance of life or death! This is when your future was split in twain." The old man's tone was serious and eloquent.

Serge was completely mesmerized by the image that was now showing a terrible storm raging near Opassa beach and producing sounds of screams from many people at a time.

"In your home world, you survived to live a happy and prosperous life. This is how you made it to the present point in time. However, here in this _alternate_ world, you are, in fact, very dead and buried. You died ten years ago, but this world's time line has flowed on regardless. You have no place in this world… Here you are but a ghost brought back from the past!"

Everybody was now staring intensely at the images which were showing El Nido again.

"I do not know what happened ten years ago… Nor can I guess what triggered your entrance into this world." The man continued.

The image was now of strong waves on a sea.

"The locations were such divisions in the space-time continuum occur are called, _Angelus errare_, where angels lose their way. It is said that, there, the borders of two dimensions fluctuate in such a way as to make the passage between dimensions possible. Perhaps in this world, you are the missing piece from a giant puzzle… And maybe, just maybe… the vacuum created by your non-existence here has drawn you across dimensions to fill the void in that puzzle. Of course, no one can say for sure."

The image shifted to a powerful tidal wave that traveled toward Serge. He quickly put his arms up to cover his face, but lowered them once he saw that it was still just an image.

"However, it appears as though these two worlds are connected by some unknown force. Depending on the location, the two worlds influence each other in strange ways. So I advise you to consider everything you will do, because each action will not only affect this world, but also the other dimension."

"The image now showed two archipelagos that fused to make only one.

"I am quite certain that there is a wormhole that connects the two parallel worlds…

An image of two funnels in space-time connected by a very narrow looping passage formed.

"Oi, I'm really not sure ta understand all this, but if whatever you say is true, then why the bloody hell did Serge die." Kid asked, now turning aside to take a look at the books.

"It had to be something that happened ten years ago." The prophet replied.

"T-ten years ago I almost drowned at Opassa beach." Serge said, weakly.

"Then I guess we have an answer here."

"But… why didn't I survive here?" Serge asked.

"You can only find out by moving on. Be aware, though, because, here, you will meet a much stronger being. I believe he holds a part of this puzzle. He is probably the only one who can fill the gaps in this tale. You must meet him, but do I have no clue as to what he has in store for you… Well, that's all I know. It is now time for you to leave. There are eight pillars standing in the main hall of this floor. The torch of the second to last on the left is a switch. Just bring it down."

"Bloody hell… that's quite a story you have there mate…" Kid said, as they all headed for the exit.

"Oh, and, by the way, expect to see more of Marcy on your way back." The old man called from the desk.

"She wanted to… kill you I believe." He added, a teasing smile on his lips.

"And he finds this funny…" Leena said.

"Oi, if this bloody bitch tries to mess up with us, I'm gonna make sure she kisses the moons."

Once outside, they weren't so surprised to see Marcy waiting for them on the other side of the bridge. Her short sword was drawn and she was ready to fight. Her left forearm was now attached to a steel buckler. They were four against her, but the bridge only allowed one to pass at a time, so it would still be a one-on-one encounter.

"You are not going any further, Serge." She said, pointing her sword at him.

"Oi, try to stop us, if you dare. You'll kiss the moons."

"Stay out of this missy, you can have your turn once I'm done with your friend."

"Oi, we'll see about that."

"Kid, no, wait." Serge tried to grab her by the shoulder, but was too late.

Kid was already engaged on the bridge and had drawn her dagger. Her first slash was deflected by Marcy's buckler, but Kid quickly recovered and was braced for the counter-strike. Marcy stabbed at Kid, but the girl swiftly took a step back and took a swipe at Marcy's forearm. Sword and dagger connected and Marcy took the opportunity to knock Kid off the bridge by striking with her shield.

Unlike Peppor, Marcy was slender and was wearing no heavy armour, making her moves much faster. Her buckler gave Marcy an obvious advantage, but Kid knew her free arm could still be used.

"So, ready to give up already?" Marcy said.

"Oi, why don't you just jump off, it would save me tha trouble of having to do it meself." Kid replied, not impressed at all by her opponent.

On the other side, Serge, Guile and Leena were trying to think of a way to help Kid.

"Duck!" Guile screamed.

Kid just had time to crouch, but Marcy was thrown off by a powerful wind stream, but miraculously managed to stay on the bridge.

"Oh, if that's how you want it, then have it your way." Marcy screamed, throwing her fist in the air, several strings emerging from her fingers.

Before they knew what was happening, Serge, Guile and Leena found themselves trapped in nets.

"Now, let's see what you can do without your little friends to help you."

"Oi, with pleasure." Kid said, landing a low kick on Marcy's knee, bringing her to one knee.

Kid then took the opportunity to take a swipe at Marcy's face, but the blow connected with the buckler and Marcy launched a blow to Kid's leg. This time, Kid wasn't fast enough and was left with a gash on her tight. Kid then made the mistake too take a look at her wound and Marcy used this time to knock her with her buckler. Kid was pushed off the bridge, but was able to grasp the edge with her hands.

Marcy quickly came to the ledge to crush Kid's fingers, but was taken aback when she saw that her opponent was nowhere to be seen. Just then, Marcy turned around to see Kid taking a downward stab at her. She just had time to block the hit with her sword. However, Marcy didn't see Kid tilting her elbow and the hilt of the dagger smashed against her right cheek, leaving a nasty bruise. Marcy quickly got up, took a few steps back and brought her fingers to her cheeks.

Seeing her fingers stained with her own blood, Marcy's visage contorted in anger. She squeezed her fists and several blue beads socketed in her sword's hilt lost their glimmer. Heavy icicles began raining over Kid's head. The thief decided to roll forward so she could get close enough for another strike.

Marcy was furious and had no other concern than raining more icicles on Kid's head, she even lost track of her opponent's whereabouts. Kid had managed to reach striking distance and was lying on her back, her dagger held in the arm furthest from Marcy. She brought her dagger up in a circular motion and the whole blade penetrated her adversary's abdomen.

Marcy's visage then showed an empty expression, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. She brought her hands to her wound as Kid withdrew her weapon. Blood began covering the deva's hands while the last icicles summoned were shattering against the bridge. Once the elements had worn off, Marcy began walking backwards slowly, still clutching her wound. She soon came to the ledge and took one fatal step back. She fell silently, and a wood-breaking noise was heard.

Kid marched to the edge and saw a hole in the building that stood just below. The others, who had just managed to free themselves from the nets, joined Kid as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Bloody hell… I have to admit she was a tough one…" Kid said, breathing fast.

"Let's not stay here." Guile whispered, hurrying away, followed by the rest of the group.

Back in the main hall, Serge spotted the pillar hosting the switch mentioned by the prophet. He then saw the jester he remembered sleeping on a couch coming to them. She stopped in front of them, hands behind her back.

"So… you muszt be Serge… Ho, la, lah, you are even sexzier zhan I thought." The harlequin said, running a finger down Serge's chest.

Serge just stood there, blushing.

"Oi, and who the bloody hell are you?" Kid asked, frowning.

"And ziz vulgaire one muszt be Kid. How dare you speak like ziz, you disgust moi." The jester said, keeping her finger on Serge's chest, but staring at Kid.

"But, uh…" Serge tried to ask, but was cut off.

"Je m'appelle Harle, ze right-hand jester to monsieur Lynx." Harle said, taking a step back and bowing deeply.

"Oi, that's it, so tell him we're coming over to rip him apart, buffoon." Kid said, unsheating her dagger.

"Oh, but alas, I cannot be caught fighting you here, Imagine ze trouble I would get into…"

"Yeah, that's nice, but we don't have time for a juggling act, so if you'll excuse us." Guile said.

"Se taire, sideshowz, I am having a conversation with mon Serge here." The jester snapped, returning her eyes to Serge.

"Serge, mon puce, if you lie down with a dog like zis femme, you will surely catch fleaz, non?"

There was a long silence before Harle spoke again.

"It seemz you wish to see monsieur Lynx, non? I guess I cannot stop you, Serge. But, ho, la, lah, monsieur Lynx will be fâché, he hates being disturbed."

"I don't care, I gonna see him anyway." Serge said, determined.

"Oh, la, lah, zuch courage, mon Serge. Well, I guess this is au revoir." Harle said, disappearing in a backward flip.

The group had only taken a few steps when Harle called for them again. She was floating in mid-air, lying on her side, her head resting on her right hand.

"Oh, and Serge, pleaze, dream of moi, oui?" She said, blowing Serge a kiss and then disappearing again.

"Oi, if she bothers us again I'll make bloody sure she vanishes from this planet. Now, where's this switch?"

"This must be the right one." Guile said, placing his hand against a pillar.

"But how are we going to reach it? None of us is tall enough." Leena commented.

"Oi, no problem, Serge here will give me a helpful hand." Kid said, walking to the pillar.

"And I have better not catch you looking upwards, you perv." She added, stepping in Serge's hand.

Serge looked totally awkward, trying to look away and pushing with all his might to make sure Kid keeps her balance attempting to reach the switch. Guile and Leena chuckled at this sight.

"Hey, what are you two laughing at?" Serge said, face red with effort.

"Oh, sorry, Serge, I just can't help it, it's just so…" and Leena burst in laughter.

A clicking sound was heard and Kid jumped down.

"Oi, that's it, mate, I hope you enjoyed the view 'cuz you're not getting another shot.

"God, I sure wish I don't stand there watching these two laughing at me like that again."

The red doors finally opened, allowing Serge to reach the final floor of the manor. This floor comprised the quarters of the Viper family members. Doors, by the number of two, were decorated with a golden snake. A stairway appeared to be giving access to the rooftop.

When Serge approached the right-most door, a sole eye standing right above the door shot open. Guile immediately grabbed Serge's arm to prevent him from going further. A jet of highly corrosive liquid was shot right at Serge's feet, leaving to his imagination the consequences that one more step would have had.

"Quick, against the wall!" Guile said, executing himself.

Guile was positioned closest to the door and was cautiously placing both hands on his rod. He was breathing slowly and deeply, waiting for the eye to close again. When the sentinel did so, Guile rapidly spun around and rammed his rod against the eye. The magician managed to get out of the way just in time to avoid being splashed with acid. The liquid left fuming holes in the floor.

Guile pressed his ear against the door and heard no sound coming from the other side. He then slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open.

They were clearly in an office. Weapons with polished edges were hanging on every wall and an oak desk was occupying the center of the room. Against the back wall stood a massive bookshelf surrounded by a statue of a headless angel on both sides. On the desk was a shining blue orb that immediately caught Kid's gaze. She bent down to examine the sphere.

"Nah, it ain't the frozen flame." She said, a disappointed look on her face.

"What exactly is this frozen flame?" Serge asked, turning to Leena.

Kid paid no attention to their conversation and started to look everywhere to see if there could be other objects of interest.

Then the bookshelf began sliding against the floor, revealing a hidden room. Out of the entrance came a tall man with broad shoulders and a white beard. Upon seeing intruders in his office, the man quickly put his hand to the hilt of his sword.

"Who are and you, and what are you doing here?" The man asked, slowly unsheating his weapon.

"Oi, don't play innocent on me, general Viper. Why d'ya send yer dragoons after me mate Serge here?"

The general turned his head to look at the other intruders and took a moment to consider Serge.

"My dragoons? Your mate Serge? I'm afraid I don't have the slightest idea of what you're talking about." The general lied.

"And now, if you're done with the formalities, I'll call my dragoons so you can spend the rest of your miserable lives in a cell with the rats."

"I'm afraid your security is momentarily incapacitated." Guile replied, taking a step forward.

"Oh, is that so? Then maybe I'll show you scumbags why I'm the general here." The general said, raising his eyebrows and then assuming combat stance.

"I believe these vermin are here to see me, general." Said a tall feline demi-human who had just stepped out of the secret room.

Kid's head slowly turned, recognizing the voice. Fire began burning in her eyes. She grasped her dagger firmly and unsheated it. The demi-human also gazed at her for a moment.

"Mmmh, your face seems familiar, could you be…? Ah, yes, you must be Kid. You sure have grown, but apparently you still haven't learned when to stay home in bed… Oh, yes, I think I remember why." The demi-human flashed a cruel smile.

"Oi, yeah, ya bloody well know why, Lynx." Kid's lips were trembling with anger.

"And now, I've finally caught you by the tail, and I'm gonna swing you 'round and send your sorry arse to kiss the moons."

"Interesting… surely I can take care of you later, but now… I have an appointment with that mate of yours." The demi-human's eye turned to Serge.

Serge met the intimidating gaze of the one who raised anger in Kid's spirit. Lynx rubbed his index and thumb claws for a few moments and then picked up the blue sphere from Viper's desk.

"I wonder, Serge, why do you think you exist. Why do you think you have died? Do you wish to live anew? Do you wish to erase your demise from the pages of history? Why do you think you were summoned to this world were death is the only thing left from you?"

Serge was completely taken aback by all those questions and had no idea what to answer, nor even if he should answer.

"Oi, don't listen to this bastard, Serge, he's trying to hypnotize you with his big talk.

But Serge was already under the control of Lynx. Somehow he was sure that the demi-human held the answer to all the questions he himself asked and desperately wanted to hear the answers.

"You are an omen, Serge, a dark omen, the presage of the end of the human race. You hold Death's scythe in your very hands, but have no control over it. It will slip and come falling down on every human, your friends, your family, every human will step into nothingness when the moment comes. There shall be a deep enmity between you and what's left of the world. This is not speculation or prediction… This is history. Simply take a look at the records of fate. Destiny itself has recorded your apocalypse, Serge." The demi-human raised the orb to Serge's eye level.

Serge gazed in the orb and saw his reflection switching to that of Lynx. Then a strange sight appeared. It showed a building Serge had never seen or heard of before on an island. Then a small black sphere formed in the building and began expanding, devouring everything in its path. Serge took a step back, now afraid of the power this demi-human could hold.

"Oi, that's it Lynx, I'm gonna settle this score once and for all." Kid lunged forward and brought her dagger down on Lynx.

Lynx rapidly blocked the swipe with his scythe and sent Kid flying with a powerful front kick. Kid's body slammed against the wall, but she recovered surprisingly fast.

"Now listen to my words, Serge…" Lynx was marching toward the teenager.

Then a young woman with long black hair entered the room.

"Daddy, about that voyage I was planning…" she stopped abruptly upon seeing what was going on.

Kid seized her chance and grabbed the woman, passing one arm around her neck and bringing her dagger to her hostage's throat.

"Riddel, my darling, you dirty... release her immediately…" the general lowered his sword, but was burning with anger.

"Oi, yeah, sure, no problem. Now shut up, gramps and let us out or she'll pay."

"Goodness gracious, who are you? What do you want? Riddel said, slightly turning her head to see that of her assailant.

"Don't worry, just stay quiet and I won't hurt ya." Kid whispered in Riddel's out.

Kid slowly dragged Riddel outside Viper's office with her while Serge, Guile and Leena formed a circle around her to make sure no one attempted to free the hostage.

Serge then heard footsteps coming from the staircase that led to the floor under. Karsh and two dragoons came to them.

_Damn it! Damn it to hell! I knew they weren't dragoons…_

"Take your filthy hands off of lady Riddel, you jackasses."

"Stop it right there! Call your dragoons back, old-timer! Now!"

The enemy was still advancing and Kid had to desire to kill Riddel at all, so she simply retreated in the only possible direction, the stairway that led to the rooftop.

They were now all stuck on a large balcony with no possible escape other than jumping down below. Taking a look at the rocks that were awaiting, Kid swallowed with difficulty.

"Bugger… I'm in deep slutch…"

"There's no use resisting. You're surrounded. Hand off my daughter and maybe that I'll let you live."

However, no one paid attention to Lynx's hand that reached in his back pocket, taking a dagger.

"No!" Viper screamed, but he was too late.

"Watch out" Kid swiftly pushed Riddel aside, but was unable to avoid the dagger herself. Her right arm now showed a quarter-inch deep cut.

Kid took a step back from the impact and clutched her wound, but had miscalculated the distance that separated her from the ledge and lost her balance. She swung her arms frantically, desperate to regain stability, but it was no use. She plummeted. The rocks or the sea would receive her. Serge ran to the ledge, but couldn't spot Kid anywhere.

"I have waited for you, Serge, waited a long time for you. What do you live for? What are you willing to die for? Are you ready to meet your fate?" Lynx was walking toward Serge.

Serge turned around to see what was going on and decided that he had no hope of escaping. He simply jumped down, aiming for the water.

Lynx ran to the edge to see if Serge had been able to avoid the rocks. Hearing a splashing sound, the demi-human showed a grin.

"You can run, but you can't hide, chrono trigger."

Guile and Leena looked at each other for a moment and then decided to make the big jump. Two more splashing sounds were heard.

"Karsh, gather the dragoons and search the manor for anyone or anything suspect."

"Yes, sir!"

The sky was still pitch-dark, but the manor was vast. Karsh knew there wouldn't be sleep for many people before the morning.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 10: The Sun Finally Shines Again**

Shadow forest, Another world, 1020 A.D.

The very first sunrays had just penetrated the deep mass of tree leaves that covered shadow forest. Three men were lying in the dirt. Suddenly, one stirred. Peppor Shaker painfully turned his head and slowly opened his eyes. He gritted his teeth, his body still aching and burning from everywhere. He took a look around and saw his brother also immobile. He reached out with his arm to grasp Solt's shoulder. The taller dragoon opened his eyes and turned his head to see who had touched him.

"P-Peppor, are we dead yet?" Solt's voice was weak.

"No, you idiot, we're still alive…" Both soldiers were still lying on the ground, unable to move due to the pain.

"…Shake it, Solt, you were right, these brats are protected by the white dragon." Peppor still had trouble breathing.

"So, are you gonna give up, we can't reallyly really hope to capture them."

"Shake it, no!" Peppor shook his head, a determined look on his face.

"B-But, Peppor…" Solt's lips curled down in despair.

"Solt, I-I want to be a deva."

Solt gave his brother an incredulous look.

"Ever since Sir Dario's spot became vacant, I knew it, it was my chance, the one chance to shaking become someone." Peppor looked down.

"But, Peppor, becoming a deva is totallyly totally, well it has, you must be verily very good and…"

"I know! Shake it! I know! You have to prove you're up to the task. But Sir Karsh told us the general wanted these brats alive so badly. Maybe if we bring them, it would give me a shaking chance…"

Both brothers just looked at each other for a moment.

"I want to achieve something before I shaking check in, Solt… And become a deva is shaking something."

"Then you'd better hurry up, Peppor, because trying to catch these brats will consirablyly considerably shorten your life-span." Solt had a very serious look on his face.

"I don't give a shaking damn, Solt, I'm gonna get them, even if it is the last thing I do, even if I have to shaking face the white dragon himself."

Peppor clenched his jaw and pushed himself up. He grasped his right wrist with his left hand and was engulfed in blue light. The pain diminished but he knew the numerous injuries caused by Kid's attack still weren't fully healed. He helped his brother up so he could do the same.

Peppor then spotted Zoah and went to him. He kneeled next to the deva and pressed his ear against the massive man's back. The dragoon rose his head back up and shook his head at his brother, signalling another deva had fallen. Solt and Peppor stood up, removed their helmets and lowered their heads in respect.

Guldove, another world, 1020 A.D.

Several hours after sunrise, Serge's eyes opened once more. He sat in bad, yawning and stretching. He turned his head around to take a look at his surroundings. It seemed that he was in a rather modest house, or tent as it appeared that a large piece of bright red tissue served as walls. The floor was made of wood and he had slept on a bed made of straw. Jugs and mugs were scattered on the floor. Curtains formed rooms inside the house and a wooden ladder led to the upper floor.

Serge's head was aching as he was remembering what happened last night.

_We were on that balcony… and then Kid fell… and then I fell…and…damn, man, what happened… where am I now…?_

Then the wooden ladder began creaking under the steps of a rather heavy person. A large woman with tanned skin and bright purple hair was smiling warmly at him. She was wearing a long purple dress with a pink top and had two scarves wrapped around her waist. One was gold and the other was of a lighter purple. Two golden necklaces hanged from her neck as well as two large golden earrings from her ears. She was holding a silver tray filled with exotic fruit.

"I'm glad you're finally awake, boy. You must be hungry." She left the tray on Serge's leg.

Serge looked at all the yummy fruit for a moment and decided for a papaya. He grabbed it and continued to observe it for a while.

"Eat, eat, cha're only skin and bones, boy"

Serge raised his eyes to look at the woman and then looked at his arms. Like most teenagers, Serge had rather skinny arms and like most teenagers, he sometimes wished he was more muscular. Seeing this, the woman chuckled softly.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to hurt cha. Um, I'm Macha, it's my son Korcha who found cha, or rather cha found him. He said cha came falling from the sky.

Serge looked aside for a moment, the name ringing a bell.

_Korcha… the punk from termina…?_

"Char friends are already up. They're waiting outside. Why don't cha bring them some fruit. I'm sure they must be hungry too."

"Uh, say, where am I?"

"Oh, cha're in Guldove, town of friendship, one of the rare places where humans and demi-humans coexist peacefully."

Serge massaged the back of his neck which was very stiff as well as most of his muscles. He then got up and picked as many fruit as he could hold from the tray and went outside. The sun was already high in the sky and several seagulls were roaming in the sky, looking for something to ease their hunger.

The whole village consisted of several docks all connected to each others. These docks were made from old creaking wooden planks all painted red. Ropes and buoys were hanging everywhere as well as big metal pegs to moor boats. All houses were actually tents except for one labelled _Hospital_.

The town was rather quiet and only a few merchants were doing business on that day. Serge partially closed his eyes to shield them from the bright sun. He then spotted his friends gathered around a counter on which were laid all sorts of gems and jewels. The jeweller, a demi-human, was closely examining a polished stone.

"I'm sorry, m'lady, but this one's a zircon." He handed the zircon back to Kid.

Kid furiously grabbed the gem and threw it in the sea, kicking at a wooden pole.

"Hey, are cha that lame radical dreamer who can't tell the difference between a zircon and a diamond. How did cha manage to join them? Oh, I get it, cha must be in charge of making the sandwiches."

Kid quickly looked up to see a young girl sitting on the roof of the hospital. She had brown hair tied in two buns. Her outfit strangely resembled that of Kid except for the red shirt and the brown jacket. Purple bracelets covered her wrists and ankles. A purple gem was hanging from her slender neck and matching sandals accompanied her feet. Her bright green eyes were sparkling in the sun and her small hands were resting behind her head, a sharp boomerang protruding above it. Her lips were curled in a mocking smile.

"Oi, you little brat, get your arse here and tell me this again. I'm gonna make bloody sure you eat that boomerang and get it out at the other end."

"Whoa, take it easy, she's just a child." Guile grasped Kid's shoulder in an attempt to calm her.

"Just a kid? Who do cha think cha are, cha hairy freaky drag-queen."

It was Guile's turn to look up, not believing his ears.

_Where did that one learn such words…?_

The girl stuck out her tongue, dove in the water and swam away.

"Oi, looks like we're even, m'lady."

"Hmmm… I'm not so sure… after all, you can't tell the difference between a diamond and a zircon." Guile flashed a mocking grin.

"Oi, don't rub it in, mate."

"Alright, alright, but seriously now, I didn't know you were a radical dreamer…"

"Oi, what d'ya mean, wasn't it obvious enough? Yup, I'm a radical dreamer, proud, strong, fearless. Bloody hell, I took that dagger, fell from over two hundred feet and now I could climb mount Denadoro."

But Kid suddenly felt very dizzy. She was seeing black spots and had to grab onto a pole to maintain her stance. However, after a few seconds, she collapsed, her vision completely blurred. Everyone quickly gathered around her. Serge immediately dropped the tray and ran to her.

"Back off, back off, she needs air." Guile was pushing everyone away from Kid and knelt down next to her.

A few moments later, Kid was lying in a hospital bed, a warm sheet covering her. Serge, Guile and Leena were gathered there as well as Korcha, a demi-human and the one guldovians referred to as Doc.

The hospital consisted on a single large room with four beds covered with white sheets. A stool was standing next to every bed. Jugs were scattered everywhere in the room and a clothesline crossed the room above Serge's head where he could see every single of Kid's garments hanging.

The nurse removed a towel from Kid's forehead before placing another one dripping with cold water. Doc, a man of average height with long blonde hair and wearing marine pants with a matching jacket covering a beige tank-top, came close to Kid a sat on the nearest stool. He removed the tuque his constantly wore despite the burning heat and wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand and sighed.

"She was poisoned with hydra venom. The only cure for this is hydra humour. Otherwise… I'd say she has three days to live at most."

"But, hydras are extinct in the archipelago." Leena took a look at Kid.

"That's right, hydras were hunted to the point of extinction. Skin, teeth, humour, bones, everything can be used and sold for great amounts of gold coins. So typical of humans, if money can be made, who cares about life? The killed every single hydra, the marsh literally died and now that there's someone dying, we're helpless." Doc buried his face in his hands.

"I believe there are still hydras on the mainland…" Guile looked at Doc.

"The mainland? There's no way you could reach it. The current in the Zenan strait is way too strong in this season. You'd need to be on a big vessel and even then…" Doc slowly got up and sighed again.

"Excuse me, I need to be alone for a while." Doc left the hospital.

The nurse tried to go after him but it was of no use.

"What the? I-I'll go get the doctor, you just wait here." Korcha who had remained silent up to now quickly left the hospital but bumped into someone he had never seen before.

"Oh, la laa, no excuse for bumping into moi, have you no mannerz?" Harle put her hands to her hips.

"Hmm, bonjour, Serge, I hope you have dreamt of moi." Harle had bent to the side to look at Serge and then spotted Kid.

Serge definitely wasn't in the mood for a flirtatious conversation with Harle and gave her a reprehensive look. Harle gave him a fake sheepish look and walked past him.

"Oh, mon Serge, you are zuch a coeur sensible, so sweet of you, but alas, I'm afraid she iz out for ze count." Harle looked at Kid for a moment.

"So why don't you just leave 'er be and come with moi to heaven, mon Serge."

"Hey, who do cha think cha are? Barging in here and messing up the place. Cha could at least have some respect, she is dying." Korcha held up his fist threateningly.

"I am 'aving a converzation with mon Serge, not with some chicken-hawk, so se taire, monsieur puny-verse." Harle gave Korcha a pissed off look.

"What? Now that's it, I'm gonna make cha eat those words, and don't think I'm gonna cut cha any slack because you're a girl." Korcha quickly grabbed his fishing rod from the wall and swung it a Harle, but he was too late, Harle had already vanished.

"Oh, la, laa, you are not supposed to swing it like zis, you will scare those little fishies."

Korcha was astonished, but rapidly regained his composure and swung his rod at Harle again. Harle smiled and vanished again. She reappeared, sitting in mid-air.

"Zuch a simpleton. Serge, mon beau, zis was very amusing, but I muzt leave you for now. Aurevoir." Harle disappeared one last time, bowing deeply to Serge.

Serge was looking at Korcha who was still gripping his fishing rod firmly in case Harle showed herself again. He took notice of Serge and lowered his weapon.

"What? Cha know her?"

"Let's say we've met her before." Serge looked at Korcha and then to the floor.

"I'm gonna get the doctor, cha just wait here." Korcha left the hospital.

"…In my world… hydras aren't extinct in the archipelago…yet."

"Serge…Serge…" Kid's voice was very weak and she was obviously struggling to speak.

Serge quickly turned his head to look at Kid. Her face was very pale and her eyes were only half-open. Serge approached her bed and kneeled next to her. Serge's feelings at this very moment were a bitter mix of sadness and anger directed at himself: Kid was dying and he was helpless. If only he had been in his world.

"Serge… Are they all gone?" Kid's eyes closed momentarily and her features contorted in pain.

"Yeah, yeah, they're all gone."

Kid reached inside her jacket and took out a round purple amulet tied to a delicate rope. An odd drawing representing the sun had been painted on the relic. Serge carefully grabbed the amulet from Kid's hand and looked at her, waiting for an explanation.

"When…when you crossed dimensions for the first time, my amulet reacted in a very strange way. Maybe…if you go back…where angels lose their way…"

"Where angels lose their way?"

"Yeah…remember what the prophet said…try to remember where it is…where did it all began?" Kid's eyes closed and her head came to rest firmly against the pillow.

Serge slowly pushed himself up still gazing at the amulet.

"Where did it all began…?" Serge was mumbling to himself.

"Serge, where were you when you crossed dimension?" Guile was looking intensely at Serge, urging him to answer.

"Opassa beach…I was at Opassa beach." Serge raised his eyes to look at Guile over the amulet.

"Then we have to bring the amulet there."

"You really think that…"

"What other choice do we have?"

Serge glanced at Kid and then at the amulet. He nodded, agreeing with Guile that they had to take the chance that this amulet was the key to crossing dimensions.

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In the local bar of Guldove, two demi-humans were quietly sipping a beer. Doc was sitting alone by the counter, looking at the old wood. Seeing this, the barmaid, a young woman with blonde hair tied in pigtails approached him. She kneeled in front of him, placed her forearms flat on the counter and rested her chin on them. She looked upwards in Doc's eyes. At first, the man pretended taking no notice of her.

"Something tells me you're still thinking about her." The woman's voice was soft and understanding.

"I couldn't…" Doc only looked at her for a second and then returned his gaze to the counter.

"Doc… after seven years you're still blaming yourself…"

"It was my fault, Orlha, only my fault… I failed her."

"Your past is constantly controlling your life Doc. It's still devouring you, night and day."

"Seven years ago I failed her and today I failed again."

"Doc, let go, let go of her spirit. You did all you could, now it's time to move on."

"How could I let go, it was only because of me that she…"

"You know, sometimes Tia's memory comes floating around me, but I don't cling on to her spirit like you do. You're imprisoning both yourself and her by doing this. It's okay to keep in your heart the memory of loved ones, but if never want to forget for at least a while, your past will ruin both your present and your future."

Doc simply stared at Orlha, unable to find any suitable answer to this.

"…Now there's someone else who needs you. If you let one bad memory ruin this moment, you'll lose it and fail that person two. What will happen to you? Will you let the memory of two people control your future? Just don't let the memory of on person control your future and you'll be free…forever, Doc."

Doc slowly spun around, still sitting on the stool.

"You're right, Orlha. It's time I move on. I'm not going to let a bad memory ruining my life bring a second bad memory to ruin my life twice as much. I'm going back to the hospital." Doc got up and left.

Orlha waited for a moment to make sure Doc was away from the bar and turned around. She took out a blue brooch from her pocket and stared at it for a short while.

"Tia…I know you're still alive…somewhere…someday…I'll find you."

Orlha carefully replaced the brooch in her pocket and grabbed a towel and a buck from the top of the counter.

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Back at the hospital, Doc was a bit surprise to find Serge, Guile and Leena waiting for him outside.

"What's going on, dudes? Going somewhere?" Doc looked slightly nervous at the idea of being left alone with Kid who was dying.

"Yeah, we're getting some hydra humour." Serge had a rather determined look on his face.

"But how…? Never mind. You guys go and do your best, I'll be taking of her while you're away."

"We need to go back to Opassa beach." Serge's look went to Korcha.

"Right. I'm getting the boat ready." Korcha left for the docks.

A few minutes later, the group was setting sail. Hopefully, they'd reach Opassa beach late this afternoon.

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Serge had been sitting motionless in Korcha's boat for a few an hour now, longing to reach Opassa beach. Elbows on knees, chin resting on his palms, Serge's body had completely shut off to allow his mind to operate at maximum efficiency. Serge's mind was trying to remember the exact geography of the marshes to make sure to come back with the antidote as fast as possible. At the same time, memories were swirling in his brain, interfering with his planning, making the task very challenging. Those last few days had given him quite a run for his money.

_First at Opassa beach… Then I met Kid… She drags me on this crazy trip to that manor… We end up in Guldove… And now we have to find this antidote…_

_No… Okay… Remember the marsh… First straight ahead, then left, and then right…Or left again… Damn…_

Guile's mind appeared to be at the antipode of Serge's. He appeared very calm in spite of the time that seemed to flow much faster than usual. He had been staring at the ocean and the waves without making a sound. As for Leena, she had looked distracted ever since the morning.

_Oh, gosh, mom's gonna kill me…I told her I'd be back before the night and it's been three days…I have to stop by… But there's someone dying, that's gonna cost us some precious time…_

Korcha's mind was totally unable to operate at the moment, all his effort being focused on pushing against the water with his only paddle.

The sky was cloudless and a strong wind was rounding the boat's sole sail, bringing the group a much needed speed boost.

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Another hour had passed and the boat had finally reached the beach. Serge was relieved to see the purple coral and at the same time was extremely nervous. He hastily stepped on the sand and ran to the very place he had been when he had first been dragged across dimensions.

Serge took out the amulet and held it in front of him, waiting for something to happen. Leena turned her head around expecting to be engulfed by a tidal wave just as Serge described the way he first came to this world. After a while, Serge's arm dropped to his side.

"That's useless…" Serge's voice was barely audible.

But as the amulet came closer to the sand, a short green cylinder wrapped their feet. They all looked to the ground for a moment, waiting for something to happen again. Serge then flashed a smile and dropped the amulet into the sand. The cylinder quickly outgrew the three of them and, like the mouth of a giant worm, swallowed them.

Serge's head felt like splitting in twain again just like the first time. The pain was excruciating but he knew that it would be over soon and he would still be in one piece. After a while, Serge re-opened his eyes to see the white sand and the golden boulders of Opassa beach once more. Looking around, he spotted Guile and Leena who were lying face down on the sand. He went to help them up.

"Urrghh, man, my head felt like parting, Are we still alive?" Guile still had his hands pressed against his head, hardly believing he was still alive after this.

"Oh my god, I've never felt so much pain. Did you also get the feeling that your head was splitting apart?" Leena bent down to grasp her pan.

"Well, I'm sorta getting used to this, second time for me."

"Impressive, you'll surely get your membership card soon, kid."

"Kid? What's with the kid? You haven't called me that so far."

"Oh, don't worry, you've grown a lot since the start of all this, almost a hundredth of an inch." Guile inspected his rod to make sure no grains of sand had entered the small orifices.

Serge's eyes went to the ground for a moment. So far, Karsh had called him junior, Zappa had called him son and now Guile was calling him a kid. For most boys, the road that leads to being a man is usually long and tortuous, but for Serge, it sometimes seemed endless. Sometimes he blamed his father for having disappeared from his life. So many things he needed to know had been stripped from him. Sometimes, however, he somewhat considered himself lucky; several people in Arni had played part of a father's role in his life.

As for elements, Serge had the privilege of learning from one of the bests: Radius, the chief of Arni and ex-deva, had seen war and knew a lot about elements and how to get the best out of them in battle. Ever since he was seven, Serge had joined Radius on the training grounds with other villagers to train with elements under the chief's watchful eyes. At first, Serge had been thrilled with elements, but there was something he simply hated about them: no matter how hard he tried, Leena had always been able to beat him. He had always suspected his mom to give Leena additional tips on how to exploit his own weaknesses but had given up on that idea since nothing could justify her doing this to him.

Then, all of his problems seemed to vanish on a particular day when he was fourteen. He had been walking on the beach when suddenly he spotted something shiny. He had rushed to see what it was and his face had enlightened as he found out. A weapon, a real weapon, one that seemed both very able of inflicting deadly wounds while keeping any opponent at a good distance due to its length. It was a swallow, a dual-bladed weapon made of copper. Of course it was nowhere as strong as steel, but at that time, he couldn't have cared less. He had bent down to pick it up. It felt so light. He swung it around and somehow it was surprisingly easy to use in spite of its size.

Serge had rushed back to the village to show it to everyone. He still remembered everybody in the village gathered around him, urging him to let them touch the swallow. Then the only person who still hadn't shown up appeared. Radius had had a very serious look and walked to him through the crowd. He had grabbed the weapon from him and began inspecting it. He then asked Serge to follow him to his hut. He remembered the conversation he had had with Radius.

He had been alone with Radius in his hut. The chief simply observed him with a very concerned look on his face for a few minutes before speaking.

"Do you know what this is, Serge?" Radius held the swallow upright, next to his body.

"It-it's a weapon…"

"Yes, that's a weapon, a swallow…It's a real weapon, not a toy." Radius was looking intensely at him.

"But I…"

"I know you don't necessarily have bad intentions, but believe me, Serge, I was once soldier. I have seen what men can do when they hold a weapon in their hands. I have fought in the first war against Porre, Serge. I have seen the bodies of friends being pierced with these, I have seen their blood spilled. When I came back they weren't with me anymore, I had to abandon them dying on a battlefield."

Impressed and beginning to feel remorse, Serge lowered his gaze.

"As I said, I was once a soldier. I know what the life of a soldier is and what obstacles are waiting on the path that leads to war. If you really wish to take that path, I will not prevent you from doing so, however, I will not help you."

Radius walked to him.

"I now hand this back to you and leave it up to you as to what you will do with it." Radius walked past him and left him alone to ponder.

The second person to have played the role of a father is Serge's life was old Sam. The old fisherman had never declined an opportunity to boast about the fact that he had been the one to teach still-virgin Serge everything he needed to know about women. At first, Serge considered Sam as a living encyclopaedia about women. He remembered one particular day when he was twelve.

Serge had been sitting on a stool in a corner at Bertha's next to old Sam, quietly sipping a soft drink. Then Leena walked past them and for a reason that eluded him at that moment, Serge's head turned. Old Sam, who appeared to have been sleeping, raised an eyebrow. Sam then grinned and placed an arm around Serge's head.

"Say, boy, I'll go straight to the goal, what do you know about girls?"

"Uh, well, they like to wear dresses, and…"

"I see, so nobody has explained you the other differences between boys and girls. Well, I'll let you take advantage of my immense knowledge." Sam proudly tapped his fingertips on his chest.

Then Serge's memories quickly fast-forwarded to the moment he had decided to apply Sam's knowledge. Leena had been waiting for him on Opassa beach all alone, longing to see what the surprise he had promised her would be. Serge was slowly approaching her from behind, growing more nervous as the number of steps that separated them diminished. Upon hearing nearing footsteps, Leena turned around to look at him.

"So, what's this surprise?" she asked, expectantly.

"It's, uh…" Serge's heart was now thumping hard in his chest and he decided to just do exactly as Sam told him.

He simply grabbed Leena's left buttock with one hand, pulled her face to his other hand and firmly pressed his lips against hers. Serge barely had time to experience a strange new feeling as he felt Leena's hands brutally pushing him back.

"What do you think you're doing? Are you mad?" Leena's fists were clenched in fury.

"But I-I followed Sam's instructions on the difference between, I, you should have liked it, I thought…"

"Oh, so you followed that dirty pig's advice too? You're just like every other boy. You want to know another difference between boys and girls? Girls don't like to be considered pieces of raw meat that you have to cook." Before he could react, Serge's eyes caught a glimpse of Leena's hand accelerating toward his face.

Serge fell on one knee due to the force of the impact, but quickly got back up only to see Leena rapidly marching back to the village.

"But Leena, please, I…" He tried to scream after her, but he was too late.

It took weeks of apologies for Leena to forgive him and though he had understood that Sam's advice on women was certainly not the best in the world, he had no one else to turn to so he went back to him to try to understand what exactly had happened.

"She slapped you across the face…Whoa, boy, for a first kiss, you sure did lame, considering you had the advice from the pimp himself with you." Sam rubbed his face with his hand in discouragement.

Something in Sam's choice of words that night revealed him the way he perceived women and the way he interacted with them. Serge still continued to listen to the old man's advice but decided he had to filter the information Sam was giving him and it was no surprise that not much could make it through the meshes.

"Care to wake up, boy? She's still dying and that humour's the only hope, remember?" Serge was forcefully pulled from his memories and shook his head to come back to reality.

Serge's memories eventually stopped to torment him but as he looked around him he found himself facing another problem: was he really back home?

_…Guess there's only one way to find out… _

But did he really want to find out? However he had no choice, so Serge began walking toward the colourful rocks and plants of Lizard rock that separated him from Arni.

Anxiety began rising in Serge when he saw the fishing village drawing on the horizon. Upon crossing the beech wood arch that greeted all in Arni, Serge seized the massive sword-fish in one swift motion. It was there, the sword-fish was there, the other fish too, the flowers were gone, and the fish were back: he was home.

"I'm gonna see mom!" Serge sharply turned his head to look back at Guile and Leena who didn't even had a chance to ask for an explanation.

"Well, in a way, Serge had always been a mama's boy…" A weak smile grew on Leena's lips.

"I just hope she doesn't ground him, cause we still need mama's little boy to get that humour."

"I guess we'll just have to wait for him to come back." Leena headed over to the pier, a place where she had spent so many hours musing about everything that mattered to a sixteen year-old girl.

Looking around and seeing he had nowhere else to go, Guile simply decided to follow Leena.

Serge had ran as fast as possible to his house, but upon reaching the entrance he stopped abruptly, suddenly scared of his mother's reaction: she's probably be angry at him for leaving like this, but at the same time he hoped she would simply be relieved to know that he was fine.

It was rather dark inside and Serge walked silently on the wooden floor. He spotted his mother sitting on her bed, sobbing, her face buried in her arms with Leena sitting next to her, an arm wrapped around Marge's shoulder, desperately trying to find a way to consol her.

Serge simply stood there for a moment before the two women turned their heads to him.

"Serge…" Marge's voice was weak but filled with joy and tears were still running down her cheeks.

"Serge! How-how could you? How could you leave your mom like this, it was…" Leena was simply too angry to form any more words.

Marge totally ignored Leena's reaction and ran to her son to embrace him.

"Oh, Serge, I'm so glade you're back… but, where have you been?" Marge shook her head, desperate for answers as to what happened to her son as she slowly let go of him.

Serge looked at his mother and sighed before beginning his tale.

When he was done, he looked at Marge and Leena nervously, fearing what their reactions would be. Surprisingly, Marge's look was extremely understanding, almost as if she believed everything that had happened to him in the last few days was normal. However, the expression on Leena's face was exactly what Serge was expecting: a look of utmost scorn.

"By all the dragon gods that live, Serge, I never thought I'd say something like this one day, but you really are a jerk. You leave like this and then make up this absolutely ridiculous story. Do you even have an idea how much concern with had with you, I…"

"But Leena, I, you saw me being engulfed by that wave, I mean, you were right next to me."

"Oh, yeah, I saw you, that' s for sure, you were right by me and I just had to look away to have you disappear for days."

"…You know, Leena, I knew you would be the one who wouldn't trust me, so I've thought of something to convince… Care to see it?" Serge extended his hand to Leena in a challenging way.

Leena really was doubtful, but eventually took Serge's hand, accepting the challenge, and followed him outside.

"I just hope it's not something like that stone wall at the waterfalls you've shown me ten years ago saying it was one of the dragon gods and in fact it only resembled a dragon…"

"Look, if you can find a "scientific explanation to this, then I'll be paying your studies at the Porre academy, alright?"

With this, Leena simply let herself be dragged by Serge to that proof of the existence of a parallel world.

_…Well… Maybe I'll find that studying at the academy isn't that harsh…_

Viper manor, another world, 1020 A.D.

Harle was making her way nonchalantly in the desert halls of Viper manor. It was very quiet as most dragoons were now sleeping, exhausted after having searched the whole manor for other spies. When she reached her destination, she seized the doorknob and paused for a moment, not sure if she should knock before coming in.

Considering the fact that the one waiting for her behind the door didn't bother to do so previously, she simply pushed the wooden door and entered without making a noise. Lynx was silent, looking through the window, hands behind his back. Realizing the demi-human wouldn't beother to engage in a conversation, Harle spoke.

"Monsieur Lynx, c'est moi."

Lynx slowly turned his head to look at the jester but returned his gaze to the window and the smile on Harle's lips disappeared, the young woman not sure what the source of the demi-human's discontent was.

"J'attendais a better welcome from you, monsieur Lynx, after all it iz you who sent for moi."

Lynx took a moment to consider her reproach before answering.

"I a very afraid we are in trouble, Harle, it will be more difficult than I thought…much more difficult."

"What do you mean, monsieur Lynx?" Harle closed the door behind herself.

"The boy, he is stronger than I expected, the energies emanating from his aura do not lie."

"Oh, oui, Serge, isn't he charming, je le trouve…lovely."

Lynx sighed in exasperation.

"Oh la laa, monsieur Lynx, why don't you simply calm down a little, mmh?" Harle spun on her feet in one swift and gracious ballet move, an amused smile on her lips once more.

"The…problem is more serious than this Harle…The magician…I wasn't expecting his presence…in fact, he is the real problem…I have never seen someone with such a strong aura, he must possess some of the most powerful elemental capacities in this world…almost if he had an eternity to master the forces of the elements."

"Oh, la laa, anotzer most powerful magicien in ze world. If j'avais a gold coin for every person whose derrière I kicked after hearing 'e was ze best, Je serais très riche, monsieur Lynx." Harle took a deck of throwing cards from her pocket and formed a fan with it.

"And Kid, she has gotten away…again." Lynx's tone was now turning to anger.

"Oui, zuch a brat, Je dois dire…but simply calm down, monsieur Lynx, zis little plan of ours iz in good hands, non?"

"Oh, yes, of course, in the hands of some buffoon." Lynx had swiftly turned around and bent at the waist so that his face was level with that of Harle.

Instantly, The jester's hand flew upwards and connected with the demi-human's cheek, jerking Lynx's head to the side. Lynx remained motionless for a second and then first returned his eyes to Harle before turning his head.

"Je vous ait dit… never call moi zis." Under her make-up Harle's face had turned red in anger.

Lynx then returned to the window and placed his hands behind his back once more, signalling he would be losing himself in his chaotic thoughts again. Seeing this, Harle turned around to leave.

"And where do you think you are going exactly?" Lynx's voice didn't contain much authority, but was a mere questioning.

"Je m'en vais, to take care of zhat Kid once for all, so we'll see who iz a boufon."

"You can forget about her. Now that I have found the arbiter, I do not have any interest in her anymore. And in case you were thinking about taking care of the boy, I will simply tell you that he is not within your grasp anymore."

"What do you mean, monsieur Lynx?"

"That is right, Harle, he did it, he found the purpose of the amulet and was able to cross the dimensions to return to his home world… but he will be back, that is for sure. You can leave now, I will send for you again when he comes back."

"And à propos, the others, you know, ze soldiers, Karsh and Glenn, ze don't really like you monsieur Lynx."

"Glenn and Karsh… they can play with their little toys, I practically own the general so I rule this manor… and the sole heir to the manor… soon I will have taken care of her." Lynx's lips curled in a smile at the idea of being the only ruler of the archipelago.

"Poor fools, they do not even know what power is sleeping right under their nose…"

Having absolutely no desire to intervene in the demi-human's moment of coming self appreciation, Harle opened the door and left without a word.

Arni village, home world, 1020 A.D.

Guile and Leena were sitting on the wooden pier, shoes removed, feet dipping in the cool water. A few kids were swimming not too far away under the watchful eye of an old fisherman.

"Whoa, it sure is a relief, I mean, the climate is insane here, compared to the mainland, so hot and humid." Guile said, looking ahead.

"Yeah, I do this most of the day, babysitting the kids… Say, I wanted to ask you… That element you used on Serge back there in the forest, it wasn't an ordinary healing element, it was what they call a heal plus, I think."

"Yeah, that's right." Guile slightly turned his round to look at Leena.

"I've heard of elements like that, but I had never actually seen one. Where did you get it?"

"Oh, before I came here, I used to live on the mainland. I was taught how to use elements by a very powerful mage. He was the one who gave me this element as well as several others."

"But, why did you leave?"

"Let's just say my master and I just had had too many disputes at one point. So I just left to continue studying elements on my own."

"You sure seem to know a lot about elements…"

"That's what caused the main quarrel between me and my master."

"Oh… And I was wondering if you would be willing to teach me some of these things one day."

"And why don't I teach you now. After all, we don't have anything to do right now."

"Really? So, you think this thing about elements being created when the dragon gods were born is true?"

"Well, it's possible. They say the dragon gods were born when the universe was still young and highly energetic. Energy would have gathered in very dense _eggs_ and those eggs would have hatched the very first forms of intelligent creature. They also say the other eggs, those that couldn't gather enough energy to hatch were buried under layers of dirt and through the pressure and exposure to a material almost impossible to find today, they _evolved_ into elements. These eggs then began resurfacing through volcanic activities and sometimes deep excavations."

"Wow! That sure is an interesting theory."

"The scientists from Porre are currently developing another theory about the creation of elements. They say that elements could be the product of the digestion of an extinct specie, maybe dragonians or Lavos."

"Dragonians? Lavos?" I never heard of such things."

"Dragonians are supposedly a highly intelligent specie that lived here in this archipelago. Recent discoveries showed that they could have possessed a very particular digestive system. As for Lavos, it is an alien life-form rumoured to have come in contact with this planet a very long time ago. There's not even proof of its existence."

"So…I would be holding what came out of the lower exit of some aliens…? I think I'll stick to the first explanation."

Guile chuckled, reached inside his pocket and produced a glimmering blue bead.

"Here, this one's a cure plus element. You're a blue innate, so you should be able to get good results in a very short time of practice with it."

"You're really giving it to me?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Wow, thank you… But, I just have two more questions."

"Go ahead, my pupil." He said, chuckling.

"Pfff… okay, I just wanted to know how you can tell that I'm a blue innate."

"Well, first, you come from a coastal village. Lots of water around means high chances of being born a blue innate. Second, I learned to read through auras, so I can't be wrong, can I?"

"Well, you're right, I'm a blue innate, but I don't think everybody here is a blue innate."

"True, that old man carrying a staff, he's a green innate, and something tells me he wasn't born in this village."

"If what that prophet said about parallel worlds is true, then I'm pretty that he's Radius, the ex-deva. He wasn't born in Arni."

"But the real mystery is Serge. Not only is he not a blue innate, but he's white, the rarest type of innate, born in a village of blue innates. They say white innates will carry a heavy burden on their shoulders. Maybe that prophet was right."

"…And, what makes you say I'll be successful at using blue elements?"

"Elemental energies act like magnets. They attract energies of the opposite colors and repel energies of the same color. You're a blue innate, meaning you have an aura of blue energy around you. When you use a blue element, your own energy will repel that of the element you're using, thus forcing it more efficiently against your target, no matter if you're using an offensive, defensive or healing element. On the contrary, if someone uses a red element on you, the red elemental energy will be attracted by the blue energy of your aura, making any red element used on you stronger. However, no element is never fully exploited in terms of potential."

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever you use an element, a lot of the energy is lost, absorbed by any surrounding objects. They call this the field effect, it can greatly affect the strength of any element used depending on your location. If you use a blue element in place where many blue elements were used before, objects around will repel the new burst of energy at the point opposing the less resistance, in most cases your target. The contrary is also true, if you use a red element in the same place, the blue energy contained within the objects will attract a lot of the new burst of energy, meaning there is less to be directed at your target. Usually, between ten and thirty percent of the elemental energy unleashed actually reaches the target. You can easily imagine how powerful a level one element could become if one found a way to get rid of the field effect and concentrate all the energy on the target."

"Level one element?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry, well, you know there are just so many types of different elements that my master used to classify them in eight levels of strength."

"Really? How many types of elements do you think there are?"

"The answer to that question is rather simple, an infinity."

Leena just looked at him, mouth slightly open.

"But actually, there isn't _really _an infinity of types of elements. As of now, there is a precise number of element types known… As for the level of strength, it goes like this: level one, two and three include basic elements found in most shops, like the one in Termina. They include, cures, fireballs, ice lances, photon rays and bushwhacker elements. Not really devastating, but enough to teach a lesson to the average bully. Level four elements can be bought in shops, but only in specialised ones, like on the mainland or, I think Marbule has such a shop. Level four elements include ice blasts, magma bursts, aeroblasters and electrobolts. These can be pretty scary if used by a strong mage. Level five and six elements are large scale mass destruction weapons. They can wreck havoc on a large zone. I pretty much never use them."

"So you have some of these on you?"

"Well, yeah, but I keep most of them sealed inside my rod in case someone managed to steal it from me. The seal prevents anyone but me from using the elements inside the rod. These elements can usually only be used by someone whose innate color is the same as that of the element…"

"But you used the heal plus on Serge…"

"Yeah, but, you see, it's possible to learn to use them. It usually takes years of training and most of the time you don't get half the results an innate of the same color would get in a few weeks of training."

"And as for the last two levels?"

Guile took a moment to ponder, not sure if he should continue.

"Actually, I'm not even sure such elements really exist. My master told me these elements had gathered lots of energies at the very beginning and were on the verge of hatching life. If used, the energy of the caster combined with that of the element would allow a very powerful creature to hatch for a short time. It also requires a field completely imbued with energy of the same colour, otherwise the burst of energy will simply diffuse in the air. My master once said he had a chance to try to _summon_ one of these creatures but failed. I wasn't really surprised, the difference of energy to compensate for is so immense that filling this gap virtually means the user has godly mind power… I could probably do it…" Guile nodded his head, grinning.

"Pfff, please, just stop bragging like that, it's actually more embarrassing for you than for me." Leena was also smiling.

"Sorry, I just can't help it sometimes… you know, after all, being such a gorgeous male, skilled with elements and all…"

"Now you really remind me of someone I only know too well."

"Really? Who is that champion?" Guile slightly turned his head to her.

"Old Sam, that perv, always bragging about that harem he used to have when he was still with the dragoons."

"I guess he fought in the war against Porre. Maybe he just inhaled too much of those gunpowder fumes, heard it could seriously damage your brain." Guile's tone was now more serious.

Leena, however, found this pretty amusing.

"Yeah, well, he spends most of his time in the bars of Termina, hitting on girls that have like forty years of age less than him. Still claiming no woman can resist a man wearing a uniform." Leena was doing a pretty good imitation.

"Oh, you shouldn't underestimate the attractiveness of a man in uniform. I'm sure you're saying this only because you have actually never seen him wearing his war outfit."

"What? You mean those garbage bags we had to wear last night? I'm sure he must be every seagull's dream."

It was Guile's turn to laugh.

"It's no wonder he's still single."

"Smart decision. Married women refuse to share."

"At least not with seagulls."

Both Guile and Leena's heads turned at the same time as they heard someone walking on the pier.

"Hey guys!"

"So, how was she? I hope she wasn't too sad about you leaving like that?" Leena's face showed concern.

"At least you still have all your limbs, she must not have been too mad."

"No, mom's okay, she'd like to meet you before we leave for the marshes, but for now, Leena, there's someone who's dying to see you."

Leena got up with a puzzled look on her face. Serge then slowed sidestepped to reveal another Leena. A look of shock then appeared on the visage of both Leenas. Thered hair, the green eyes, the headband, the dress, everything was exactly the same. They both slowly walked to meet each other, carefully extending a hand to make sure the other wasn't just an illusion. Upon touching another's finger, they quickly withdrew their hand.

"Serge, that's- that's me, it-incredible…"

"Serge, ever since the day I've met you, you've pretended to have done all sorts of incredible things and so far I've managed to find a fitting explanation for each and every of them, but this one…this one beats me…"

"So, see, I'm not crazy, it's just as he described, there are two worlds." Serge appeared rather proud; not only because Leena was force to acknowledge to the fact that he had found a parallel universe, but for the first time in his life he had done something that Leena couldn't explain.

Even Guile seemed fascinated by this. His look was a mix of joy and curiosity.

_…So there are other portals after all…_

Serge then left the pier followed by the others to his home. Once inside they saw Marge sitting on a chair, looking at the ground. She slowly looked up at them and smiled weakly. She got up, sighing. She proceeded to take a look at Guile and then turned her eyes to the two Leenas who were standing side by side. They both looked at each other for a split second, but quickly looked away, slightly embarrassed; for all their lives, they had been told that they were absolutely unique, but now, here it was, there was someone exactly like them.

"So… you must all be hungry, Leena, will you come and give me a hand in the kitchen, it won't take long." She looked at Serge and Guile, signalling that they could wait at the table.

Both Leenas stared at each other for a moment, unsure of what to do, before following Marge in the kitchen. Serge and Guile proceeded to sit a table. Serge placed his elbows on the table and rested his forehead against his palms, staring at the table for a moment. Upon raising his eyes, he noticed an amused smile on Guile's lips.

"What?"

"By everything that's holy… you'll end up with a harem, boy."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Serge was rather shocked to hear Guile talking like that.

"You already had two fighting over you, and now it seems that they can be cloned…" Guile was still smiling at him.

"When exactly did you seem them fighting over me?"

"You still have a lot to learn about women, boy…"

"And I suppose that you are going to make me a real pimp." It was Serge's turn to show an amused smile.

"To…tell you the truth, I…haven't been involved a lot in this field over the last…" He was cut off by Serge.

"Decade?"

"Well…almost." Guile sighed.

"I see… tell you what, I'm not so sure I'd ever want a harem, especially if it involves several Leenas."

"What d'you mean?"

"You have yet to discover the other side of Leena."

"What other side? Did she beat you at arm-wrestling?" Guile's smile momentarily returned.

"Well, at pretty much everything else."

"You're kidding?"

"In fact, it was only with elements. Ever since the day we started training with them she has never missed a chance to teach me a lesson."

"Hmm, must me tough on a young male's ego." Guile looked away for a moment, taunting Serge.

"Yeah, but, I haven't been involved much in this field over the last… decade." It was Serge's turn to show a taunting smile.

"Oh, I could always coach you to make you a real alpha male so you could finally bring together your harem, boy."

Serge was about to answer but decided against it when he heard his mom walking toward him, carrying dishes. Both Leenas were following her, both still looking rather uneasy and uncomfortable about the current situation.

"Here you go, eat while it's hot." Marge placed a large plate of fried fish in the center of the table and three smaller plates containing raw vegetables and biscuits.

Once everybody was served, they all began eating in silence. Serge was eating very slowly, nervous at the idea of telling his mom he was going to leave again tomorrow. He was slowly beginning to accept the idea that time would continue to flow like it had been doing forever and he would soon have to deliver the bad news.

The only sounds Serge had heard for the last fifteen minutes had been utensils lightly clanking against plates. Suddenly, a voice brought an end to the awkwardness that had filled the air.

"So…the marshes, how much time do you think we'll take to reach them?" All eyes turned to Guile

The room was silent and for a moment Serge was simply desperate that someone else would say something. Serge answered without really bothering to look up at Guile.

"About three hours of walk from here."

"…Then we'll have to leave before dawn to bring the humor in time." Serge felt his mom's gaze on him.

Serge was waiting for her to say something, grimacing like someone expecting a violent punch. However, not a word came. Serge slowly raised his eyes to look at his mom, but only saw an expression of sadness on her face. Seeing this, Leena gestured to say something in protest, but Marge turned her head to her, signalling she'd rather not have her get involved in this.

When everyone was done eating, Guile announced it was time to go to bed if they were to get up before dawn. Serge was the last to leave the table. He spent several minutes alone with his mom almost like asking if she was sure she didn't want to give that punch after all. Eventually, Serge came to realize that Marge would simply sit there with a sad look on her face and left.

In the darkness of his room, Serge was unable to fall asleep. Hands under his head, he couldn't stop thinking about his mom.

…_Why the hell didn't she say anything…why the hell did she also silence Leena…mom would never do that…_

Serge then heard footsteps coming to his room. His feelings were a mix of relief and nervousness when he saw his mom enter with a lit candle in her hand.

"May I have a word with you, Serge?" Surprisingly, his mom's voice was rather forgiving and Serge obediently followed her to the kitchen.

Marge looked at her son in the eyes for a moment before speaking.

"So? Is it true, that you will be leaving again? With that man and the _other_ Leena?"

"Mom, I, yes, I mean, there's something important I must…"

"Serge…" his mom's voice cut him off.

"It alright, Serge… You know, twelve years ago, when your dad left, I was heart-broken and at the same time I couldn't forgive myself for what had happened to him…"

Serge's eyes narrowed as he tried to focus on memories of his dad, but for some reason, he simply couldn't remember anything about him, all images of him were blurry and didn't make any sense at all.

"So I vowed to never let this happen to you, to protect you, but I was wrong. Maybe I became a bit too protective of you, Serge. Maybe it is time you try your luck in the outside world just like he did, maybe you'll take the same way he took, who knows… Oh, Serge, you look so much like him… in a way…"

Serge was still trying to find a memory of his dad but not to avail.

"If you really believe it is the best thing for you to do, then do so, I will not try to stop you, Serge." The look on Serge's mom was still too sad to his liking.

"But, mom, I, you'll be…"

"Don't worry about me, Serge, I will be fine…Plus, I have Leena to take care of me." Marge smiled weakly.

Serge also smiled, remembering that the only person in Arni who could be more over-protective than his mom was Leena.

"Well, in this case, good-night, Serge." Serge's smile remained as he looked at his mom before she returned to her bedroom.

Serge slowly crept to his bed, careful not to wake the others and was finally able to sleep, his mind now at rest for the first time since the morning.

Viper manor, Another world, 1020 A.D.

It was very early in the morning and Karsh was back to his quarters after a long and exhaustive search of the whole manor and its grounds. Irritated of having found absolutely nothing, he sat on a chair covered in red velvet. Eyes closed, Karsh was trying to focus but his mind was too tired to think of anything so he just sat there for a while. When he felt his eyes could tolerate the light again the deva opened them and stared at the oval mirror suspended to the wall just above his desk.

Maybe it was just the fatigue, but Karsh felt very strange all of a sudden. Looking into the mirror it felt as if he was seeing his life played right in front of him. Trying to convince himself that it was just an illusion, Karsh narrowed his eyes to make the images go away… but they would simply not disappear.

A young boy of about seven years old with short purple hair was holding a wooden axe was standing behind the glass. Karsh blinked several times and brought his head closer to the image, convinced he was going insane.

_…What the fuck…? It can't be… That's me… So long ago…_

"One day, I'm gonna be a deva, and there's nothing you can do about it, got it, you punny bastard."

Karsh rubbed his eyes, not believing what he just heard. He closed his eyes tightly and then re-opened them again to see a teenager of about sixteen years old holding a single-bladed axe sitting against a wall.

"Damn, why can't you say something, why do you keep it all inside, can't you see it's killing you…but what good could anyway… Dario will always beat you, no matter what you do, he'll always do it better than you… The only way you found is to be a murderer… You're pathetic…"

"No, that's a lie!" Karsh was screaming at himself, slamming his fists on the desk, teeth gritted.

The image went blurry and then seemed to return to normal, as if it had all been a dream. Karsh was seeing himself again and was relieved for a moment, but then heard a voice again.

"Look at you…always full of rage…It's consuming you…It was not the masamune, it was you, your own rage, your own envy, your dreaded desire to show that you also existed…You're a burning fuse and soon the spark will hit the powder keg…Then who will it be? The general? Riddel? Glenn…? You're a murdered, filled with anger and there's nothing you can do about it now…How could you have let things be so…? Die with your anger…"

"Enough!" karsh grabbed his axe from the nearest wall and shattered the mirror.

Still furious, Karsh slowly lowered his weapon, still not sure if this nightmare was over. Bringing his head close to the mirror again for a moment, he felt relieved to see that no other image was appearing. Karsh walked to his bed and let his body fall on the mattress without bothering to put out the burning candles and rapidly fell asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 11 : Lives Balancing on the Scales of Fate**

Arni, home world, 1020 A.D.

The sky was still dark when Serge was woken up by some rummaging. Groggily, he sat up in bed and tried to speak but only managed to let out a moan of tiredness.

"Did I wake you?" Serge recognized Guile's voice.

"In that case I'm really not sorry at all, because it's more than time you got up, boy."

Guile picked up Serge's shirt and tossed it to him. Unable to open his eyes yet, Serge took the garment right in the face and let out another moan. He got out of bed lazily and got dressed. Serge's mind finally accepted the idea that he wouldn't be returning to bed before the end of this end and he opened his eyes. He then spotted Leena who was getting a heavy backpack up to her frail shoulders.

"So, what are we having for breakfast?" Serge said as he was putting on his shoes.

"Sorry to tell you this, but we've had breakfast half an hour ago and it seems Guile won't give you another chance." Leena managed to give him a weak smile.

"Don't worry, boy I'm not so mean, here, you can chew on this while we're on our way." Guile threw Serge an apple.

Serge took a moment to observe the fruit, comparing its small size to that of his empty stomach that seemed to be as big as that of a Denadoro goblin at this very moment.

"C'mon, it' time." Guile headed out followed by Leena.

Serge quickly placed the apple in his mouth and ran back to his bedroom to get his swallow before catching up with the others.

Viper manor, another world, 1020 A.D.

Like every morning, Glenn had risen before sunrise. However, in the dark basement of the manor where dragoons slept, it didn't make much difference since the only light available was that provided by the numerous torches that hung from the walls. It had been hard as a boy for Glenn to take the habit of waking up before sunrise, but now he really enjoyed it: no waiting in line to take a shower or to shave, no hearing the grouchy mumblings of other dragoons who had a hard time getting up early on duty.

Standing alone in front of a small mirror that hung right above a sink, Glenn was carefully manipulating the sharp-bladed razor. This routine always brought up memories in his mind. He remembered so well his brother doing this while he waited, sitting alone next to him and wondering why men had to shave when they grew up. He also remembered the first time he had shaved. He was holding the sharp metal object through shaking wet fingers, trying only to brush his skin when the blade slipped and cut open his flesh. The scar he had acquired a year prior while training and the new one had now formed a cross. Ever since, people he crossed in the streets stared at him, wondering how one could show such a strangely-shaped scar.

With the skin of his face as smooth as a polished stone, Glenn placed his towel under the water jet and then brought it to his face. He turned off the water and headed for the showers. A large towel on his forearm, Glenn was walking alone in the hallway when he suddenly heard footsteps. Out of the darkness came the two figures Glenn was sure he would never meet at such an early hour.

"Morning, comrade." Peppor shaker was walking past Glenn in nothing but a white towel wrapped around his large waist, a proud smile on his lips, his hair still wet.

"Uh, morning." Glenn couldn't believe what he was seeing.

_…The shaker brothers…? What are they doing up at this time…? They're always among the last to get up on duty days, and now they're out of bed before me… What are they up to…?_

After a short shower, Glenn was standing right outside the manor gates and the way was open for him wherever he wanted to go… of course he had to be back in two days. Not sure exactly where to spend these two days off, Glenn decided he would simply go wherever his feet would take him to.

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Alone in the darkness the curtains cast over her room, Riddel Viper was putting on a dressing gown. It wasn't exactly morning yet, not the exactly the time for the lady of the manor to wake up, but she couldn't sleep anymore, so she figured she'd just get up and wait for breakfast.

Quietly, she went to the door and pressed her ear against it to listen… not a sound came from the other side.

_…Everyone must be asleep…_

She swiftly sneaked out and walked past her father's bedroom and reached the stairs that led to the balcony. She silently climbed them and reached what had been her private sanctuary for years. The large wooden structure gave an incredible view over the clear waters of the archipelago. In the center was a small pool filled with warm water that had turned cool over the night. On the walls, trailing plants were blooming with white and purple flowers.

Riddel shivered as a strong gust of cold wind swept over. The young woman then went to the edge and placed her hands on it. She couldn't help but imagine what her father would say if he saw her here alone after what happened the other night. She closed her eyes and raised her chin to feel the breeze of the ocean. For a moment, she could have sworn she was the only master of her own destiny, imagining herself diving below like those who took her hostage.

There were indeed days were Riddel just couldn't endure being a noble. Sure it seemed that everybody would always smile and be nice to her… too nice. They would call her insane if she said anything about leaving this place to explore this world, so she had to put this dream to sleep and only bring it awake when she was all alone.

Riddel turned around and walked over to the walls covered with flowers. She gently caressed the delicate petals, brushing away the drops of dew that were laid on them. She plucked three of them and placed them in her dark hair, behind her right ear. Sounds of footsteps then reached her. She was dying to see who was, besides her, the only person awake in the manor at this time. However, the noise was coming from the other side of the manor and there was no way to reach it… or was there…

Riddel thought she was really going crazy for a moment, but pushed the idea aside and made her way to the eastern wall. Last time she had done this, she was still a little girl. She grabbed the edge of the roof and extended a foot to reach the ledge of the nearest window. She sure hoped she wouldn't see the curtains that covered the window be pulled apart to be seen doing this by whoever was in there.

If her father would have been angry at seeing her alone on the balcony, there was no doubt he would have had an attack to see trying to reach the southern balcony from the outside in nothing but a dressing gown and slippers.

Window after window, Riddel was slowly making her way to the other side of the manor, but on the second to last window, a strong gust of wind blew. Instinctively, Riddel held on to the roof as tightly as she could. She was really scared she would be falling, but eventually the wind calmed down and was able to reach the southern balcony.

_…Wow… that sure was close…_

Riddel placed her left foot on the balcony and let out a sigh of relief. Of course, she could have probably reached the balcony from the inside without meeting anyone on her way, but as far as she could imagine, the door that led to the room behind this balcony had always been locked and she had never been able to find a way to open it. She still remembered ten years ago when Dario, Karsh, Glenn and she had sneaked out one night to come to the room to try to open it. Luckily, the one to find them first had been Radius and he had only told them to go back to bed. Sure he had scolded them a bit, but he hadn't been too harsh on them.

She reached the edge and took a look below. She then spotted the only person she expected to find awake so early on a day off, Glenn. For a moment, she was tempted to call for him. The idea made her smile, but she decided against it. A few years ago, Glenn would have probably been the one to climb up to the balcony to meet her, a viper churro in one hand, but he had changed. Glenn now seemed like everybody else: over-protective of her, obedient of the conveniences and likely to do what would please her father. Maybe it was the memory of his brother and the weight of the expectations on his shoulders that were simply too much to bear.

Now she could only imagine the look on his face should she decide to scale down the trellis that had been set on the wall to allow the plants to grow to reach Glenn. Riddel's smile faded as she remembered the servants would soon be getting up and it was time for her to go back to her room if she didn't want to be caught here.

Right after entering her room, Riddel pulled the sheets and lied down on the soft mattress again. Soon a maid knocked on the door and entered. She went to the window and opened the red curtains.

"Good morning, miss Riddel, I hope you had a good night of rest."

"Oh, yes, thank you." Riddel lied as she stepped out of bed once more.

When the maid turned around she looked surprised.

"Is something wrong, Atiana?"

"Uh, have you slept with your dressing gown on, miss Riddel?"

Riddel brought her hand to her abdomen to feel the white tissue, having completely forgot to take it off.

"Uh, yes, I was very tired last night and I must have forgotten to take it off before going to sleep."

Path of the one-eyed nugget, home world, 1020 A.D.

Serge, Guile and Leena had been walking for two hours on a path of sand that followed a small river. Tall trees of a magnificent green were growing on the other side of the river. Boulders glimmering in the sunlight were spread on both sides of the rapid waters. The air was now warm as the temperature had increased rapidly after sunrise.

"So, why is it called the golden river, exactly?" It appeared that Guile was rather interested in the history of the archipelago.

"Radius says the first to come to the archipelago were treasure hunters. Our ancestors found their diaries that reported they had found gold nuggets in this river."

"And?"

"Well, mom says grandpa and some of his friends sometimes came here to look for some but never found any."

"So there's no treasure in here at all."

"Well, the first prospectors probably found all the gold there was to find in this river, but the real treasures are in the deeper waters."

"Really" Guile showed some scepticism at Serge's word.

"Yeah, sometimes I go diving, It's incredible all the animals there are out there and I'm not even talking about those that must live deep in the trench that runs through the whole archipelago… Oh, yeah, once I also found this." Serge threw Guile a small object without turning around to look at him.

Guile caught it before it hit the ground and brought it closer to examine it. It was a ring, an old ring on which was a small sapphire. Two creatures with long arms were carved in the gold, supporting the gem. Guile's eyes narrowed as he placed his ringed index next to the ring. The shapes were identical, except for the fact that the gem on Guile's ring was a ruby. For a moment he seemed completely mesmerized by this. Suddenly he snapped out of his thoughts to take a look at serge and was relieved as he saw the teenager still had his back turned to him.

"So, you, found this in the ocean?" Guile's tone was very serious.

"Yeah, you like it?" Serge didn't seem to care much about the ring at all.

"Uh, here have it back." Serge finally turned around so Guile could give the ring back to him.

"I just have one piece of advice, if you don't mind. Just don't sell this, alright, there may be more to that ring than it appears."

"Hey, I'm not that dumb." Serge placed the ring back in a pocket on the inside of his shirt.

"Who'd believe I found this in the ocean. I'd have been called a thief everywhere I step foot."

Guile looked at Serge in a way that meant what he had just told him was not to take lightly.

"There are also elements down there."

"Really? Strong elements?" Serge turned to see Leena walked, arms crossed below her chest.

"Well, well, well, look who's a power-driven tyrant." Serge's tone wasn't harmful at all, only teasing.

"Oh, c'mon, I'm just curious, that's all."

"No, not really, most are weak elements, but my dad once found an ice blast. It just sucked that it couldn't be used anymore."

"How come?"

"The element had been pierced through. Its energies had dissipated in the water, it was trapped in an ice block. My dad tied a rope to it and pulled it to the surface. I think mom still has it somewhere."

"Pierced through? Whoa, it takes quite a shock to bust an element open. Once I tried to bust one open by heating it up, I had assumed the pressure that would build inside would burst the solid casing, but I was never able to reach a temperature high enough."

"And what about your old master, mister the great scholar of elements, was he able to do it?"

"Yes, by crushing it with his bare hands… kidding, no actually he has never been able to do it either."

"Then what could have triggered this?"

"Hmm, I don't know, but maybe that Serge, here knows."

Serge immediately turned around to face Guile.

"How would I know this?"

"Well, you seem to know the waters around here. Are there thermal sources on the bottom of the ocean?"

"Uh, yeah, the water gets really hot near those, even when you're a several feet away from you can feel the heat radiating toward the surface."

"There, you probably got your answer. This element must have been caught in a magma pool beneath the ocean bed and the boiling lava must have provided the needed heat."

As they were walking Guile noticed another path branching from the one they were following that seemed to lead toward the center of the island.

"Say, where does this path lead to?"

"Divine waterfalls." Serge answered without hesitation."

"Divine? Why such a name? Any gods been reported around it?" Guile's voice showed amusement at the name."

"Oh, Sam reported to have had divine sights there."

Guile raised an eyebrow after taking a moment to remember who that Sam was.

"He was spying on women bathing in the lake below the falls."

"So that bloke is also a perv here?"

"Why, does he also hang around at his wife's restaurant all day while staring at other women's assets?"

"Wife? I wonder who would ever marry that jerk. Actually, he doesn't live in Arni anymore. He runs a strip-club in Termina I think…Oh, I mean, a place for gentlemen to enjoy themselves, that's how _he_ calls it.

"Ya, gotta use the real words now, we're not kids anymore." Serge smirked teasingly at Leena."

"Laugh all you want, one day he even had the nerve to come back to Arni to ask me to work for him."

Serge's eyes widened at the idea and he took a few steps at a much slower pace as he was tempted to imagine what Leena would look like working in that kind of place. Snapping back to reality, he quickly pushed the thought aside and tried to jump back in the conversation as if no such image had formed in his mind.

"Uh, don't you have to be eighteen or something to work in a strip-club?"

"Do you seriously think that Mr. I-want-your-sweet-ass-to-be-shown-in-my-place would care about something like that?"

"Let's say that, here, his wife would be quick to remind him with her pan. Actually, she also reminded him that he wouldn't be running a strip-club for as long as she lived. Now the old fool's ambition is to make sure he checks in after her."

"Alright, kids, I think Serge's young mind has been tempted enough for today, we'll be taking some rest while we eat."

"And what if my young mind was tempted to tell you to mind your own business?"

"I'd give you detention for inappropriate behaviour with your elder." All three chuckled at this.

Guile and Leena sat on warm sand, feeling a well deserved relief in their legs. Guile began taking out of his backpack the fruit he had brought for lunch. Seeing this, Serge began walking toward the river.

"Where you goin' boy?"

"Getting a real lunch. You two make a fire."

"Not the type who enjoys fruit I see." Guile turned to Leena, expecting her to agree with him.

"Uh, you see, Serge grew up in a fishing village just like I did. We're kinda used to eat lots of fish….And tell you what, I'll go get some wood for that fire so I can enjoy that fish too."

Leena got up and went near the sea to gather pieces of wood brought by Poseidon's kingdom. Guile raised his eyebrows and sighed as he sat alone with a large apple in his right hand.

When he came to the large rocks Serge removed his shoes and socks and climbed on them with his swallow in hand. Carefully placing his feet so that he would be sure not to slip he began looking for some prey. Serge's eyes were like lasers as he was holding his swallow over and behind his head with his right hand. Then came an opportunity. Serge immediately threw the dual-blade weapon like a harpoon and hit a bull's eye. He descended in the river to claim his prize and got on the rock to get another fish.

A few minutes later they were all gathered around the fire and Leena was cooking the fish in her pan.

"No offense, man, but a meal without fish isn't a meal. You sure you don't want some." Serge said as Leena handed him a plate containing one of the two fish.

"No thanks, I was raised under the saying that eating light meals will keep your mind sharp so you can make optimal use of elements."

"Alright Mr. Guru, I won't bother you."

"Yeah, guru…" Guile nodded to himself, staring at the open sea as memories began flooding his mind. He couldn't understand why these images were besieging him at this moment, but he surrendered and let himself be taken to far away times.

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Sunlight was pouring through the large glass windows of a room in which four people were engaged in a conversation. Judging by its appearance it was clear that the owner of this building knew the meaning of the word prosperity. Three massive marble gargoyles were aligned on each wall. Two more statues representing angels were guarding the entrance, threatening anyone who would be foolish enough to enter with their huge bastard swords.

A magnificent red carpet led from the entrance to the center of the room where stairs led to a golden throne. On this throne sat a woman whose features were as cold as ice. Her long blue hair was tied with a silk headband and two spherical earrings hung from her ears. Her body was covered with a long orange dress and a cape of the same color covered her delicate shoulders. Her long but feminine fingers were resting on the armrests as she listened to the three men facing her cross-legged and without much enthusiasm.

"What do you mean _not very skilled_?" She demanded.

The old man standing in the middle took a step forward.

"Ahem, the young prince has a lot of potential like every member of the royal family but doesn't seem to be responding to any of the training methods we have developed, your highness." He said, brushing a hand against his white beard.

"Well then you will simply have to develop another _training method_ my dear icons of wisdom." It was quite clear that the woman didn't hold much respect for the three men standing in front of her.

"But, with all due respect, your majesty, it took us decades to develop these methods, we can't simply pull one out of a hat like this." The shortest man said, bringing his small round glasses closer to his face with his left index.

The queen let out a brash laughter that sent a chill running down the spine of a little boy listening hidden behind a gargoyle.

"And you call yourselves the three gurus… It is clear that you are all facing a major problem here. Well, why don't you let me help? Now, now, I know I'm not one of the three great instructors of magic, but maybe I could lend a hand here." She brought an index up to rest her chin on it, totally mocking her interlocutors.

The three men looked at each other before letting the one on the right answer for the group.

"And what are you suggesting your majesty? Rest assured that we will truly consider a piece of advice coming from you."

"Oh, my idea is so simple a child could execute it." The woman closed her eyes for a moment before continuing.

"A heir who can't use magic would shame this family and discredit the ruler of this kingdom, aren't I right?"

"Hmm, I suppose, your majesty." The man on the right answered.

"In this case, if we can't make him a real heir, then we will simply have to make him disappear."

"Disappear?" The three men seemed horrified by the idea.

"Oh, but don't you think I would be foolish enough to make it appear like a sordid murder, I would disguise it as a sad accident, you know, these can happen… You never know when it will strike down on you." The woman's word showed absolutely no consideration for the one she deemed not worthy of being her successor.

"I, I believe there's no reason to resort to this your majesty, we-we will find a way to develop his spiritual force, we will get to work right away… Rest assured that we, the three gurus, will success, your highness."

"Excellent, I knew that we would find a solution to this knotty problem." A self-satisfied smile appeared on the queen's lips.

"We will now be leaving, your majesty." The three men bowed and left.

Once she was alone the queen's eyes wandered to the right for a moment before gazing at the massive doors again. She brought her fingertips together, her smile not vanishing.

"And rest assured that, should you fail, I will not fail to preserve my grasp on the destiny of Zeal… And do not think that your little toys will keep me from getting rid of anyone standing in my way…And why not also getting rid of these three peddlers…" The queen brought her index up in the air and a spark appeared on the tip of her finger and blue words formed in the air.

"So many things to take care up, I must not forget to write this down in my schedule."

The queen then waved her hand through the words, making them disappear as if she had closed a book. She let out a hysterical laughter and got up to leave.

Once the room was silent the little boy timidly showed his face to take a look around. He was alone at last. He pulled from behind the gargoyle without making a sound a made a run for the exit…But it would be no salvation, so he kept running. As he was running the world around him seemed nothing but a painting. Statues, tables, bookshelves, armours, walls, stairs and the people…of all they were without a doubt the most likely to be lifeless.

They were sleeping, even the ones who standing upright or seating reading a book or chatting. Their minds were being used, but none of them could see what was going on. Their eyes, their ears and their brain had been turned off. After all, they would certainly not need those anymore once the queen would be feeding them with the pure energy of the ocean palace like a giant insect queen pouring slime in the mouths of an army of larva.

The boy was running as fast as he could, at first with for only goal but to flee. But then it caught up with up him, he was trapped, there was no way he could escape…or was there. There was still one person he suspected was still able to escape the painting and live like him. He was running as fast as he could but wasn't scared at all of these people. What could they possibly do to stop him? Surely they weren't even seeing him as they weren't seeing anything at all.

He then stopped abruptly as he came to a closed door. He slowly opened it and walked inside. He was alone, where was she? She had to be near, she would be coming soon he was sure of this. He looked around and spotted a comfortable bed and went to sit on it. He then felt very tired and curled up in a ball before falling asleep.

Later that day, a bookshelf was sliding on the floor to reveal a secret room from which came a young woman wearing a long purple dress. Her long abundant blue hair was tied above her head with an orange headband. She looked a lot like the queen, only much younger and with much softer features. Her frail shoulders were curved down in an odd way that made her seem to carry an extremely heavy burden.

Her eyes immediately went to the boy sleeping on her bed. She walked over to him, careful not to wake him and sat next to him. Slowly she brought her hand to the boy's forehead and brushed a strand of hair aside. Not wanting to wake up her young guest, she simply decided to wait there for him to open his eyes and provide an explanation as to his presence in her room.

Several minutes later the boy's head turned to her and his eyes opened.

"Uh, sis…" He grabbed the pillow with one hand and raised his head to look at his sister.

"Janus… for how long have you been there." She smiled at him softly.

" I, uh, I don't know…" He looked around to get a hint from the sunlight, but then remembered that his sister's room bore no window.

"So, why are you here, anyway?" The young woman's voice was soft and understanding.

The boy rolled on himself so he was facing away from his sister.

"What's wrong Janus, you look terrified."

"It's-it's her again. She-she said that…" She cut him off.

"I told you not to say this, Janus. I don't like you calling mother _her_."

"But-but it's not mother, she has changed." The boy clenched his small fists in anger.

"I… know she may appear a little distant, but it's because she is very busy and very tired. You know, ruling a kingdom is no simple task. Of course rulers will appear happy all the time and surrounded by those who will do everything to please them, but their smile is often fake Janus. They are chained, kept prisoner by golden chains, but chains anyway…"

"Her smile is not faked, it's…evil. She really scares me."

"Janus, she is our mother after all, and I'm sure that deep within her she loves you very much."

The boy turned to his sister, his eyes filled with dread.

"She said she wanted to make me disappear… and the gurus too."

This time the young woman narrowed her eyes, having trouble understanding this as she knew her brother was no liar.

The door to the room opened again and a young female servant entered.

"Miss Schala, the queen asks for presence."

Schala looked at the maiden and then at her brother.

"Look, Janus, I know odd things are going on in palace, but do not fear. As long as I'll be there, I won't let anything bad happen to you, okay?" She laid her hand on her brother's cheek for a moment before getting up to follow the servant outside.

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"Alright, time to move on if we want to reach the marsh in time." Serge's tone was calm but still reflected the need to hurry.

Time then fast-forwarded from a distant ice age to the present and the magician was sitting on the golden sand again.

"So what? You're coming? We still have an hour of walking before we reach the marsh and last time I checked, daydreaming on a beach didn't count as walking." Serge picked up his swallow and his backpack and braced himself for another hour of walking under the burning sun.

It took a moment for Guile to pull himself together, but eventually he was able to put his memories aside once more and the group left the dining spot.

They were able to keep up the pace and an hour later the three had reached the sulphurous grounds known as the hydra marshes. It was an uneven ground made of huge rocks covered with red kelp separated by pools of greenish water filled with gross seaweed. Tall trees that resembled more to a mutant octopus than a vegetal were growing here and there. Putrid yellow fumes were emanating from the water like the breath of a dragon that would have swallowed a plantation of garlic. Eventually, Guile's worst fear became real, he had found a place were the air was more humid than on the main island itself.

To the east of the marshes stood the strangest thing Guile had ever seen. It looked like a gargantuan tree without any leaves that had grown out of the rocks of Mount Pyre. Guile took a moment to observe the place silently.

"I officially announce that we are in hell, my fellow travelers." Guile said before walking in the marsh.

"Don't worry, I assure you it could be worse."

"What?" Guile let out an incredulous chuckled, refusing to believe Leena.

"Remember what was said about my world, that the hydras are extinct there? Well, soon after the hydra became extinct, the marsh died…"

"And so, what happened?"

"Nature lost it. Plants began mutating and human-eating carnivorous traps began sprouting everywhere. Giant scorpions conquered the place and the fumes emanating from the water became toxic, thus killing all the life forms that inhabit this marsh, and strangely enough those new destructive dwellers were able to survive this."

"I see…"

"But it's not all. A few months ago some sort of explorer, Toma, I think was his name, stopped by our village with a couple of men before heading into the marshes. He said he was going to go through the marshes, to re-conquer it for humans again, that there was no place on earth too wild for him to explore… We never saw them again."

Then a sound that seemed out of place came to Guile's ear. It was a buzzing sound, a very strong buzzing noise. Probably some sort of insect.

_…But to produce such a sound… It's way too big to be an insect…_

Guile barely had the time to side-step in order to avoid a collision with a flying creature with a wing-span of about six feet. After missing its target by a hair, the creature simply zoomed past the group, its large globular eyes taking aim on another prey.

"What the hell was that?"

"A mosquito." Serge answered casually.

"Mosquito? I could have sworn it was a bald eagle."

"Oh, yeah, I should have warned you. It's a very important element of the archipelago's culture. Here, when a mosquito stings you, you don't slap it to death, you say thank you sir, can I have another one, sir?"

Guile grimaced in silence at the thought and followed the teenagers further in the first place of the archipelago that had really scared him so far.

Half an hour ago, Serge and Guile had taken off their shirts, unable to withstand the humidity anymore.

"Gee, man, and she is still wearing that dress without complaining. How does she manage to support this?" Guile told Serge while gesturing to Leena.

"Don't ask me how the mechanism that make a woman take off her clothes work, 'cause I really have no idea." Serge answered.

"Hey, don't mind us, eh, you don't have to support this anymore. We are now freeing you of the chains that have so far made it unacceptable for a woman to reveal her body." Guile tried to laugh at his own statement, but he was so out of breath because of the heat and humidity that it actually sounded like coughing.

"Sorry, I'm too worried about you two guys." Leena answered without looking back.

"I think we'll both survive this, but if you really think I should worry, then I'll make sure Serge's immature eyes do not look. Wouldn't want his head to explode at such a young age."

"Actually, it's more about you that I'm worried Mr. rod, because should I notice only one of those eyes on me, my frypan would immediately take the shape of your head."

Guile wanted to laugh but decided that it was better not since it could dry up the little saliva he had left in his mouth.

"So it means I can look?" Serge said in a fake hopeful tone.

"Don't worry, bandana boy, the shape of your head wouldn't fit that badly on my pan either."

The group then reached a very steep cliff that lead to a large but shallow pool of green water. Unsure of how to reach the lower level, the group stood there for a moment, gazing below.

"There's no way the water down there is deep enough for us to jump." But Serge and Leena were paying no attention to Guile's statement as they appeared to have found something much more interesting.

They were standing next to plant that resembled a long green whip that was growing just next to the cliff. Serge and Leena then both grabbed the plant and tried to pull it out of the ground with all their might but the vegetal gave no sign of giving out.

"Looks strong. The roots must reach deep in the ground. Let's see if it's long enough."

With this Serge began to reel in the plant as if there was a huge gem tied to the other extremity. Lengths of the plant kept appearing from the bushes as the plant's body began gathering next to the cliff like a huge coiled snake. When Serge finally held the other extremity which consisted of a large yellow flower he threw it over the cliff so the plant could by used like a rope. Now understanding what the two teenagers were trying to do, Guile approached them.

"Alright, I'll go first." Serge said as he placed his hands on the plant and began the decent.

"Uh, to tell you the truth, I'm not the best of climbers, so why don't go first."

"My knight in his shining armor. Don't worry, should you fall off I'll be there to catch you." Leena said, rolling her eyes.

"Alright, alright, it's not that hard, just place your feet firmly against the cliff and whatever you do don't hold onto this thing too tightly or you'll be in for an unpleasant surprise, okay?" Guile nodded and Leena placed her hands on the plant.

As soon as Leena had reached the pool below Guile took one last look down and immediately forgot all about the girl's advice.

_…And I had to look…Damn… Alright, let's do this…_

Guile took a deep breath and threw his body against the largest part of the stem, wrapping arms and legs for support. At first the wizard wasn't even able to open his eyes, but the adrenaline slowly dropped low enough for him to come to his senses. Beginning to feel his hands again he realized there was no way he would be falling off.

_…This has got to be the stickiest thing I've come across…_

Reassured, Guile then remembered Leena's words and was able to reach the ground without too much trouble. Upon placing his feet on the ground, Guile was quite proud of himself but the look on his friends wasn't exactly the one he was expecting.

"So that's what you call not too tightly, uh?" Leena raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

Guile had a puzzled look on his face and looked at Serge for an answer, but the teenager only chuckled. He then looked at himself and realized he was covered in greenish resin.

"But…" Unfortunately for him, Leena had already turned her back to Guile, taking little interest in his apology.

"Don't worry, it just takes water and soap…" Serge said.

…but just like that, when your decade of chastity finally ends, just don't cling to a woman like that, I don't think it would be good for her lungs."

"Don't worry, I'll always remember the advice of Sam's pupil." Guile playfully pushed Serge away from him.

"HEY HOOOOO, HO HEYYYYYY, HOOOOOO"

The three immediately began looking around to spot the source of the chant. A rustling came from the bushed and out of them came six dwarves. All were wearing a steel breastplate decorated with a dragon and wore a sturdy helmet made of the same material that seemed way too big for them. They merely stood three feet high but the large nose that planted in the middle of each one's face could have belonged to a giant. The lower part of their face was covered with a thick grey beard and moustache. Their eyes were partly hidden under thick bushy eyebrows. As for weapons they were wielding shovels and picks.

One of the dwarves stepped toward them and looked at them with the utmost despise.

"How dare you come here, filthy apes? For the blood of a hydra, I suppose. Only bringing destruction and hatred everywhere you step foot. For millennia you've been harnessing our mother earth's resources without ever giving it back a parcel of what you've earned. And as a result the planet is dying…only because of your selfishness. Kill the hydras and you will kill this marsh. Thousands of living beings will die or find themselves without anywhere to live…But why would you care? The only thing you care is yourself. Always considering your own life the most important on the planet, what a foolish illusion. You're nothing more than hairless apes with a planet-sized ego. Leave now and come here again or you will see your own precious blood spilled."

"Uh, actually, it must be a mistake, we just want to…" Leena was brutally cut off by the dwarf leader.

"You, the ape skivvy, stay out of this, or I'll have to make abstraction of the dwarves' legendary attentiveness."

Leena just stood there, unable to utter a word.

_…Did he really call me an ape…? An ape skivvy…?_

"You hairy shiitake!"

The dwarf leader barely had time to turn his head back to Serge before his nose came in contact with what he thought was a charging rhinoceros. The dwarf barrel-rolled back a few feet back to land on his butt with flow of blood coming from his nose. He grunted in pain as he brought a hand to the ruptured bone. Leena looked at him, her face red with anger, holding her now deformed pan as tightly as she could.

Two dwarves rushed to their injured leaders while the three others split so each of them would be facing one of the travelers in a one-on-one fight.

Still burning with anger, Leena brought her pan down in another wild swing. However, the dwarf side-stepped with much grace and agility, leaving the girl open.

"Not as easy as stabbing your opponent in the back, eh, skivvy?" The dwarf bellowed as he brought his shovel behind himself for a swing at Leena's right knee. The shovel connected with the back of Leena's leg and brought her down on one knee as she let out a yell of pain. Her leg was aching and she was now in an unsteady position, but the dwarf now appeared a much bigger target.

Her rotund opponent kept bashing at her with his shovel but from this height the blows were much easier to deflect with her pan and, mostly, there was no way the dwarf could mow down her legs like tall wheat grains. Getting angrier with every unsuccessful strike, the dwarf was starting to take only wild swings, missing by wide most of the time.

From afar, the leader gestured with his hand to dwarf on his left to bring his ear close to him so he could pass on his battle orders. The dwarf listened to his superior and then returned his eyes to the battle while bringing his hands to his face before shouting.

"Dogun, you idiot, stop messing around and use your head!"

The dwarf paused for a second, trying to figure what his leader meant by that and then grinned as if he had come up with the greatest idea of all times. He placed both hands on his helmet to hold it tightly and bent forward. He then ran to Leena at full speed. Unfortunately for him, Leena had time to roll and dodge the move. Being unable to see where he was going, the dwarf tripped on a large root and fell to the ground. The leader began fulminating at this sight and it wasn't long before more battle orders were passed on.

"Dogun, get your ass up or I'll shove my pick in it before cutting your beard to wipe mine with it!"

Leena used this time to get up again to test her injured leg. She was relieved that she was still able to walk but she brought the leader's face to an even deeper red when she kneeled again to meet her opponent when he would be on his feet again.

Next to Leena, Serge was also having trouble. He was using his swallow like a pole-arm to keep his opponent at a safe distance, but the problem with this strategy was that he wasn't able to take a strong swing to deal some real damage.

At first confident that this fight would be a piece of cake, Guile was now getting desperate as dwarves were showing a formidable and most unexpected resistance to all types of elements. After using three bushbashers the dwarf barely had a few scratches. The fourth attempt wasn't anymore successful as the dwarf only had to kneel to avoid being blown away by Guile's aeroblaster.

_…Damn, these things must possess roots like a tree…_

"Is that all you can do, pathetic ape? I'll make a pleasure to slice you in fine sausages before feeding you to the great hydra."

"Don't think that your height is only an advantage, ground peg. Let's see how you deal with this." Guile brought his hand inside his shirt and produced several black beads.

The magician threw the beads to the ground and a thick cloud of black smoke began forming. Guile grinned as the cloud lingered over on the ground, covering the dwarves' heads but exposing their helmets, giving Serge, Guile and Leena a target. Serge was the quickest to react to the advantage the cloud was giving him and seized his swallow with both hands. He brought the blade down in a brutal oblique slash, making a helmet and the head that was under it fall to the ground. The leader was now about to explode with anger.

"Take off your helmets, your bearded piles of puke!" The leader's right-hand dwarf shouted.

But once more the dwarves were swindled. The cloud rapidly dissipated, leaving them open with no protective gears on their heads. Leena took no time to consider which was the dwarf's better side and knocked him out cold with one powerful blow to the temple.

"Bolun, Dolun, get your fat asses away from me and start fighting." The dwarf shouted before running up to Serge.

Seeing how the fight was turning out, the leader sneaked fled through the bushes once he had given his last battle orders. Soon Serge, Guile and Leena were each facing a dwarf again. However, it seemed that the two that had replaced the opponents of Serge and Leena were much more skilled warriors than their predecessors.

Bolun's first move came as a strong swing at Leena's leg, but this time she was prepared for it and took a step back to avoid the blow. Unfortunately, the dwarf's agility surprised Leena once more as he continued the motion to spin on his feet before jumping to attempt an oblique blow to Leena's arm which connected. The pick cut through the girl's flesh, staining her left sleeve red.

Leena grasped her injured arm. This was her first real combat injury and she her confidence had dropped a little. The gash wasn't too deep but she would still need some time for the pain to diminish enough for her to resume fighting.

"What's the matter, skivvy, nobody told you playing with weapons was dangerous. You could end up wounded or served as lunch to a hydra." The dwarf ran his thumb along the sharp blade of his weapon.

Bolun then faked a mood swing, re-gripping his pick with both hands and bringing toward the ground in an arc, trying to pierce through Leena's foot. The girls barely had the time to move her feet, but this time the dwarf's weapon got stuck in the ground for a second and Leena took the opportunity to kick some dirt in Bolun's eyes. Her opponent's reaction was much quicker than she had expected. Having dug his weapon out, Bolun rapidly took a step back to brush the dirt off of his face.

"Fighting dirty, eh, sivvy? Don't worry, no dirty trick of yours will ever supplant the noble warrior spirit of a dwarf. For the great hydra!" The dwarf shouted these last words before going berserk.

Dolun's weapon was moving at an insane speed as he took swing after swing. They were all wild swing, but with the accuracy of a surgeon's hand. Unable to find an opening to counter-attack, Leena was left with no option but to retreat one step further with each blow. After avoiding nine attacks by half a hair her back came in contact with something solid. She moved her eyes to the side to see that she was standing against a massive tree. The dwarf had paused his frenzy and was immobile in front of her and was showing absolutely no hint of fatigue.

"Stuck between the tree and the dwarf, eh skivvy? And now, I'm sure you'll enjoy being the next meal of the great hydra." The dwarf let out a roar of fury and charged forward.

Leena could feel bloodlust flooding her opponent's body as he raised his pick behind his left shoulder for a brutal horizontal slash when he came within range. Leena brought her hand behind the tree and pulled herself with all her might to find herself protected by the massive vegetal. Dolun's wild swing gave no possibility of mercy for both opponents. Unfortunately for him, Leena was faster and his weapon entered the large trunk.

"Damn, it, by the great kalun's beard." The dwarf began pulling at his weapon to get it out.

Right in front of him Leena held a shining red bead between her index and thumb so that her opponent could clearly see what she would be doing.

"Bwah, ha, ha, you chump, hasn't your primal brain allowed you to understand that we dwarves are extremely resistant to elements?" The dwarf didn't even bother with her and simply resumed his pulling at his weapon.

"Who said anything about using an element in battle?" Leena brought her pan in front of her and dropped the element bead in it.

She then began moving her pan as if she was cooking a pancake. The dwarf frowned, his mind totally consumed trying to understand what his opponent was up to.

"You dwarves really seem to enjoy cooking don't you, so, here, why don't you taste one of our traditional dish, the roastdwarf." With this, Leena brought her now burning pan against the dwarf's face with one lightning-fast thrust.

The dwarf let out a scream of pain and panic as his flesh was burned. He tried to moved back, but the pain was so intense that the part of his brain controlling reason was shut off, resulting in miscalculated steps that allowed Leena to walk toward him pressing her pan against his face to further assault the dwarf's skin.

Once she felt satisfied with the amount of pain she had inflicted upon her opponent Leena pulled her pan back. The dwarf then began running wild through the marsh, his flesh melting like iron in a volcano and flames consuming his beard.

When a second opponent approached him, Serge felt a surge of recklessness flooding his mind. He couldn't explain why exactly, but it started as a simple impulse and rapidly grew to take control of his body. When he actually came back to his senses, he felt his hands empty and looked ahead in hope of finding it not too far or he'd be in real trouble. However, his eyes went wide as he found both his swallow and his opponent. One of the sharp blades was socketed in the dwarf's face and a river of blood was gushing from the large wound.

The dwarf was on his knees and was breathing heavily. Serge carefully approached to grab his swallow and pulled it out. The dwarf fell in the dirt and lay motionless. Serge then spotted Leena who had a look of horror on her face.

"Serge…why did you…? That was awfully reckless, what if he had dodged?"

_…Show no fear, arbiter, the road to your destiny is blessed by the dragon gods…only you shall prevail…_

"Serge, hey, are you listening?"

"Uh, what did you say?"

"I…have to admit that was quite a throw, but what if you had missed? They're like immune to elements. You'd have been defenceless."

"I-I know…"

"But why did you do it?"

"I-I'm not sure, but I sorta lost control of my arm for a moment." Serge was now feeling very tired and leaned on his swallow.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Serge shook his head and looked around for Guile.

"Ha, is that the best you can do, you over-sized chimp? It would take three of you banana peelers to defeat me."

The dwarf then felt something poking on his shoulder.

"How ironical. There are now three of us to hammer you back into the ground, peggy."

As he looked around the dwarf realized he was surrounded and decided to flee through the only opening between Serge and Leena, the legendary courage of the dwarves shredded with his decision.

"Look like we've gotten rid of the hey-ho chorus. Better get moving if we want to bring the humor back in time." With this Serge turned his back to his comrades to head toward the center of the marsh once more.

Guile immediately followed, but Leena lingered for a moment before following him.

"Something wrong? You look concerned."

"Well, I was wondering… Maybe they were right."

Guile raised an eyebrow, asking for some clarifications.

"About the dwarves when they said we take everything from earth and we'll eventually end up destroying it."

"I guess life is simply unfair. The winner takes it all sometimes… pretty much all the time." Guile's word clearly indicated that what happened to the marsh in Leena's world was obviously horrible, but as a human, there was way he would deny that his destiny could be less important than that of thousands of other beings.

Serge and his friends eventually reached a pool of green water that was much larger than all of the others. Step cautiously stepped in the pool and gestured for his friends to do the same.

"That's the center of the marsh. If there's a hydra it must be here." Serge kept his voice low.

The three began walking with the utmost caution while looking at the darkening water for any sign of the multi-headed beast. The air was eerily dry and it seemed that the hydra had ordered nature to die for a day. All was silent, no birds, no mosquitoes, not even the sound of goblins arguing what to do of their latest capture. Birds and mosquitoes surely obeyed the hydra but as for the goblins, the hydra probably had to engulf a few of them to convince the rest of the pack that a moment of silence was required of it.

Spotting a fast moving spot in the water Leena let out a strangled yelp. Serge and Guile turned their heads to look at her in one swift motion.

"What is it?" Serge's breathing accelerated.

"I-I saw something. Do you think it was…?"

"It was the hydra." Serge's word didn't exactly reassure Leena.

The water was almost shoulder deep and Serge gestured for his comrades to start moving back as a fight in shallow water would greatly increase their chances of survival. Once they had retreated to a place where the water only reached Serge's knees a wave formed on the water and reached the shore. Serge gripped his swallow tightly in front of himself and braced himself.

A massive brown head covered in strong scales appeared several feet ahead of them. The hydra was still for a moment, observing the three through its bright yellow eyes. It opened its large mouth, revealing two rows of sharp teeth dripping with putrid yellow slime. Soon after two more heads emerged from the water and the hydra extended all three necks to full height. Serge, Guile and Leena were struck with awe for a moment.

"Did I mention this thing stands thirty feet tall and weights about forty tons?"

"Thanks for warning us, boy." Guile slowly grasped his rod.

The monster began approaching them. First swimming as graciously as any fish, but then walking on the bed of the pool, splashing water everywhere with its huge palmate limbs. The monster stopped a few feet short of Serge, considering its ant-sized opponents once more. The hydra let out a fierce roar and coiled its middle head. Bringing the head forth the monster spewed a vast cloud of suffocating yellow smoke. Serge was left coughing, unable to keep his eyes open so much they were stinging.

"Quick, back off, back off!" Guile yelled.

Seeing this as an opportunity to toy with its prey before enjoying a meat much tender than that of goblins the hydra followed them, taking its time to feast on the fear inspired in the humans' hearts.

"Don't bother attacking the heads, they're covered in scales, the only vulnerable part is the abdomen."

"Then we need to get the heads out of the way first. I think I can do that. As soon as the element erupts you run for it, understood?" Guile gripped his rod tightly.

Serge nodded even though he didn't have any idea as to what element Guile was going to use. He pointed his weapon forward, slightly bent his legs, ready to take off. Green light erupted from the magician's rod and the three necks were blown away by a powerful gust of wind. All heads were roaring in madness as they were brutalised by the aeroblaster like small trees struck by a hurricane. The beast's massive body remained rooted to the ground but was now exposed with no jaws to reduce any potential danger for the fragile abdomen to dust. Serge's legs were carrying him to the hydra as fast as he could. He was going to make it, only a few feet away from his goal. Serge brought his swallow behind him so he take a strong stab and pierce the monster's flesh and hopefully strike the heart. But he didn't see the fourth head coming from his left, the monster's tail, the most powerful head. Built like a maul from hell, the tail's end consisted of twelve sturdy bones protruding from the flesh spread all around the limb. The hydra's tail wiped off Serge's body like a swatter.

Serge's frail body was sent flying several meters away and landed in the shallow water. His face wasn't immersed so he could still breathe but he wasn't getting up. The effect of the element had worn off and the heads were ready for a vengeance against the pathetic human who had foolishly tried to defy them.

"Serge!" Leena yelled at the top of her lungs, but the boy's body remained still.

Seeing the heads advancing toward him, Guile focused on his rod again and a wall of thick brambles grew between him and the hydra. Blinded by rage the heads blitzed at the wall but were left with other option than retreating as the strong brambles would surely injure their precious eyes. But the monster was far from helpless against a mere plant. The hydra rotated its immense body to bring its tail against the wall. Like a bulldozer trampling fragile twigs, the tail mauled away the brambles and Guile was a valid target for the heads once more.

Adrenaline was rushing through Leena's body and merging with the anger of helplessness. Normally she would have smashed the jerk's head with her pan, but the jerk was a forty-ton hydra. Guile would soon be in trouble if she didn't do something soon. This creature would barely be tickled by those ice lances, unless…

Leena grasped all her cold elements and focused as hard as she could on them before throwing them at the monster. One of the heads barely turned its sharp eyes at the beads, literally mocking those little stones. The monster forced its heavy body forward but let out a grunt as it realized one its front legs wouldn't move. The water around the hydra had begun to freeze and soon all four legs were trapped. Guile was now within safe and would have time to come up with another plan to kill the beast… or simply survive a little longer.

Leena wanted to run to Serge but the beast's tail was still denying her access to her friend's lifeless body. Another problem arose as the ice began crackling. Soon it would give out and the hydra would be free again. The hydra was putting all its might to work, pulling with one leg at a time to set it free. A loud noise echoed as shards of ice were hurled everywhere around the beast. One leg was free but the monster now found itself in an odd position. One leg on the block, the others still rooted to the ground, heads trying to reach at Guile.

The monster let out a ferocious roar and another leg was free. Guile brought a hand inside his pocket, his fingers moving at a fast pace, there had to be one left. They found it and grasped it. Guile was holding a shiny black bead in his right hand.

"Here, triple-half-brained worm, have a taste of your own medicine." Guile threw the element at the hydra and it was soon engulfed in black smoke.

The cloud grew to the size of several hydras and two more sounds of shattering were heard. Guile began regretting his move: the hydra was free and had a great opportunity of ambush. And he was right. The back side of the hydra's front left leg smashed against Guile's body, sending him to the ground.

Leena desperately wanted to run up to help Guile, but she was merely standing on her knees, completely exhausted from having used so many elements at a time. She took a last glance at Serge and was horrified to see that the boy's body wasn't there anymore. She didn't have the strength to get up to look for him and outstretched her arm in a hopeless attempt to call for him only to collapse forward under the weight of her own limb.

Looking up Guile saw the hydra's left head diving to him at full speed. He quickly rolled on his side but once he was on his feet he looked at his opponent once more only to see it standing still. The head had stopped dead in its track half-way to him as if the monster's nervous system had been short-circuited. The monster let out a low grunt of pain and jerked its other heads. Guile looked at the water around the hydra and noticed that it was stained black. Instinctively he looked around to see which of his comrades had dealt the blow but saw that Leena wasn't standing up anymore and failing to find Serge.

The monster jerked its heads toward the sky in pain and grunted some more. The stained water was encircling the hydra and the monster was showing signs of weakness. It was breathing with difficulty in jerks. The heads lowered to the surface of the water and the colossal body collapsed in the water with a loud splashing sound.

Guile stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do and eventually decided to slowly venture closer to the hydra. He was completely taken aback when he saw Serge emerge from the dark water. His body was covered in blood, both his and the hydra's. He was holding on to his swallow to catch his breath. Guile ran to him to check if he was okay.

"Whoa, boy, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so." Serge said, coughing to expulse water from his lungs.

"I have to admit, that was quite a move you did there, swimming underneath this thing to stab it from below."

"No time for congratulations…Where's Leena?"

"Damn it, boy, quick." They both ran to Leena as fast as they could.

"Her heart is still beating." Guile said, having placed to fingers on the girl's neck.

"She is just exhausted from having used several elements at a time. You hurry and get the humour, I'll take care of her." Serge nodded and went to the hydra's dead body.

Serge raised his weapon and placed it against the beast's vulnerable flesh to pierce it and extract the panacea but for a reason he couldn't find he stopped a few inches short of his goal.

…_What are you waiting for, arbiter…? You've won, this blood is rightfully yours…_

Serge looked around to see where the voice was coming but only saw Guile nursing Leena several feet away from him. He returned his gaze to the hydra.

…_You want this blood right…? You need it to prove that the destiny of humans is greater than that of any other being do not you…?_

Serge pressed his index and thumb against the inner corners of his eyes as if asking his conscience to simply shut up. He was feeling guilt at first, but it was being replaced by bloodlust, he wanted the hydra's life to save that of a human, he wanted the blood of every being to save that of a human.

…_So you finally admit it…Why hesitate…? You are the chosen one…Your way shall prevail…You have the power to reshape the face of mother earth…Take it…Use it to fulfill your wishes…_

Burning with an unexplainable anger, Serge drove his swallow through the hydra's neck. The thick vessels burst open and spilled the remedy to Kid's illness. Serge took a vial from his pocket and poured some humour in it. After replacing the cap he went back to Guile.

"So, how is she?"

"She'll be okay, the healing elements should eliminate all damage to the nervous tissues. She'll only need some rest to recover. Gather our stuff, it's more than time we head back to Guldove."

Serge did as Guile instructed and they were ready to depart. Luckily for them the luggage was much lighter than when they left in the morning. Serge was able to fit everything in a single backpack and placed it on his shoulders.

"Alright, boy, you carry our stuff and I'll carry Leena."

They left the hydra's body to rot for the delight of scavengers and headed back for Arni where Korcha was supposed to be waiting for them. Serge was walking behind Guile, head bowed to look at the ground. Looking up he caught the magician's rod floating to his side, following him wherever he would go, his hands free and wished he swallow could do the same for him as his legs barely had enough strength left to carry him.

The sun was starting to descend toward the horizon as they stepped out of the marshes. They began walking on the very road they took a few hours ago when they still had the energy to go the distance. Staring at the sea Serge spotted something glimmering over the waves. Placing his hand above his eyes to protect them from the blinding sun he narrowed his lids to try to identify the object.

"It's…Korcha!"

"What?" Guile immediately turned to Serge.

"Yeah, it's him." Serge waved back at Korcha from afar.

Blessing the Guldovian teenager for his arms' relief, Guile laid Leena's sleeping body on the ground and waited for the boat to reach them.

"Not disappointed at all to see you, but why are you here. Weren't be supposed to meet in Arni?" Serge asked as he placed his luggage on the boat.

"The wind's withCHA, pal, so I thought I'd give CHA a break. CHA just relax and let me take care of things from now on. We should reach Guldove during the night."

Guile let out a grunt of relief as he sat down on the wooden board and began massaging his sore arms.

"Man, she's heavier than she looks…"

"Luckily for you she's sleeping 'cause we don't have a buoy, right Korcha?"

"He's right CHA know, making a comment about a woman's weight on board isn't smart."

Termina, another world, 1020 A.D.

Night had fallen over the town of Termina. Normally, most streets would have been rather quiet at this time of the day, but during the festival, the city didn't get much sleep. Torches were lit everywhere and noises from people celebrating were resonating in the ears of Solt and Peppor. Musicians, poets, clowns, all kinds of street performers were doing their best to attract people.

A man smelling nothing but alcohol then took hold of Peppor's shoulder to prevent himself from falling to the ground.

"Uh, hey, thanks buddy, you-you look like a good buddy… I'd offer you something to drink, you and your little boyfriend here, but, they, like, kicked me out, cause, I, I was drunk…" The man then burst into laughter, showing a grotesque smile.

Peppor seized the man's hand and threw him against a wall like a sand bag. The sound of glass bottle shattering was heard and the man lied on the ground motionless.

"Shaking drunkards, someone should really be cleaning up that shit." Anger was raising in Peppor's voice, but his face rapidly reverted to a grin as he remembered why he was there tonight.

"Uh, Peppor, isn't it the dragoons' job to keep the streets safely safe for everybody?"

The shorter soldier stopped abruptly and turned to face his brother.

"Then you won't be saying that I didn't do my job to the best of my shaking capacities." Peppor turned again and resumed walking.

As the two dragoons were advancing, it was clear that the streets they were taking were getting less and less clean. Garbage was scattered here and there and most trash cans had been knocked over by roaming animals and those with a will to destroy what others had built. The houses were also showing signs of degradation. Cracked walls, windows covered with wood boards and bricks that had fallen from the roofs were increasing. Wicked-looking individuals were observing them, hiding in every shadow cast on the ground. Next to a bonfire was a man whose mind was obviously suffering. He was insulting the nearest wall with all his might.

"You fucking bastard, how dare you stand in my way." The man kicked violently at the structure, screaming from the pain the kick caused in his feet.

"What? I'm gonna show you, you whore, come here, I'll have no mercy." He then threw an empty bottle of whisky at the wall and continued to insult it.

A sad-looking woman then approached them. She seemed extremely troubled by something and her hands were shaking a little.

"Oh, pardon me, dear sirs, have you seen my cat, I have been looking for him."

"Uh, no, sorry." Peppor was slightly saddened by this story but was then filled with discouragement as he saw the woman ask a tree the same question and standing there, waiting for an answer.

"Gee, Peppor, this place is scarily scary, we should turn back, you know, there are no patrols here anymore."

"And do you shaking want to know why there are no shaking patrols here anymore, my coward of a little brother? Because it's the dragoons' duty to patrol the streets and they all wet their pants and turn around when they come to the slums you shaking idiot."

After Peppor's last surge of anger, both brothers walked without a word to their destination.

"Ah, shake it, finally, the _lone wolf_." Peppor sais as he looked up to read the sign.

They entered and took a look around. The room was pretty dark, only a few torches were burning and a thick cloud of smoke was floating near the ceiling. Peppor's head stopped moving when he spotted an old man sitting alone to a table in the back. His skin was of a sick yellow and his head was bald except for two long white braids of hair that fell behind his ear. His long gnarled fingers rested on the table, completely still. His eyes, two narrow slits, were focused on the burning candle.

"Alright, now, I'll be doing the talk, okay, you just try not to wet your pants." Peppor was obviously still frustrated by his brother's earlier behaviour that he judged completely pueril.

"Uh, I think I'll just wait for you." The taller brother headed his own way and Peppor was left alone next to the entrance.

..._Better off without him for this kind of business talk anyway…_

Solt sat on a wooden stool and placed his hands on the counter. The barmaid, a young woman with long brown hair and clad in a rather indecent outfit walked to him.

"Hmm, you look depressed, sweetheart, I'm sure one of my girls could take care of that." Solt looked up to see her face but couldn't get past her chest.

When he finally managed to look at her eyes, he was ashamed to see that she had been waiting for an answer for several seconds now.

"Uh, no thanks, I'll just have a fiery cobra."

It was clear to the woman that the soldier hadn't been close to a member of the opposite sex for too long. However, she simply turned and bent to grab some bottles. Solt wasn't sure if she was doing it to get the bottles or to have him reconsider her first offer. He couldn't resist the opportunity to stare for a second, but then remembered about his brother. Solt spun around to look at the large room and saw his brother sitting with something he wasn't sure was a man or a senile snake.

"You know, I don't usually leave my sanctuary and even less to come to such crowded places." The man rested his elbows on the table and crossed his long bony fingers.

…_Shake it, and he even speaks like a rattlesnake…_

Peppor reached inside his clothes and produced a pouch the size of a cantaloupe and placed it in the center of the table. The snake's lips curled in a devilish smile, the light of the candle exposing his bony cheeks. He reached inside the pouch with a hand and withdrew a gold coins. Bringing it to his face, he bit in the metal and replaced it with the others, resting assured that it was gold.

"So, what can an old sorcerer like me do to please the noble acacia dragoons?"

Bringing his face across the table, Peppor whispered something in the man's ear. The man's eyes were shining with a dreaded lust as he listened to Peppor's request.

"…Simply, purely, absolutely, impossibly… evil. I know how to crystallize such a dark desire."

It was the serpent's turn to reach inside his clothes. He then placed a skull-shaped medallion. It had a shining white bead for a left eye, a black one for the right eye and one last black bead held between its teeth.

"Three? But I thought…"

"I see… Skilled with a sword, or rather an axe as I can see, but not much knowledge about spiritual forces… I will have to do something about such a gap."

The man took the medallion and held it between his thumb and index so that the eyes and mouth were facing Peppor. He then slid his index to the right eye.

"Turn black… This power only receives command from those with an aura that radiates the color of Belzebuth."

The finger then went to the left eye.

"Magnify… because this power only receives command from those with an aura that could blind the dark one himself."

The finger finally went to the mouth.

"And… black hole, a force of destruction, an idol to non-existence… This one is not to be taken lightly…" Peppor's forehead was wrinkled and his eyes narrowed to mere slits as he pretty much didn't have a clue as to what this meant.

"It is an object of infinite density that sucks everything with a mass… careful now, it doesn't only affect living matter, it will also reduce rocks, trees and water to nothingness." The snake's tone clearly indicated to the dragoon that this element wasn't to be toyed with.

"The pulling strength of the void is inversely proportional to the distance that separates it from the target. With the magnify you should be standing to at least a hundred feet from the point of implosion, and make sure the target is within a hundred feet. The closer the better…. And lastly, always use the magnify first, its power will grant the necessary spiritual stamina needed to use the other two within a short time. And I now entrust you with the product of the dark one's might. May destruction help your case." The snake placed the medallion on the table once more, grabbed the gold and left.

Peppor stayed immobile for a moment, gazing at the relic, its smile reflecting the dreaded power contained in its twisted features. After several seconds, Peppor slowly took the medallion and went to find Solt.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's notes : Damn it was time I did this so here it goes. Thanks for all reviews so far and in case some of you are wondering if I'm dead, I don't plan on checking in anytime soon I've just been busy lately to explain the update delays. By the way I don't know if it's too late to avoid being sued but I don't own Chrono Cross nor most of the characters in this story, Square does. I be just the one who pulls the string behind the curtain.

**Chapter 12 : Crossroads**

The sea of El Nido, another world, 1020 A.D.

The night had fallen over the quiet sea of El Nido and Korcha's boat was pushed by the wind as the teenager was paddling as fast as he could to bring the humour in time. Completely exhausted from their ordeal in the marshes, Serge and Guile were silent, their backs slouched over, barely able to keep their heads from falling down. Leena's body was still resting on the bottom of the craft. Serge's head slowly rose and turned to Korcha as he came to realize something.

_…Just, how the hell did he…?_

"Hey, Korcha, can I ask you something?" Korcha was focused on paddling but he looked at Serge nonetheless.

"Sure. What'CHA want?"

"Just, how did you manage to reach us, I mean you didn't have…" Serge found himself unable to speak another word as his realized his shirt pocket was empty.

"…This amulet?" Korcha produced Kid's amulet from the inside of his jacket.

"Yeah, I-I must have lost it but…"

"I actually found it in the sand of Opassa beach."

"Then it means I must have dropped it just before I crossed dimensions. Luckily you found it in the first place, but why were you there anyway?"

"You see, I usually don't travel to the south of the main island, but then I heard that CHA guys were from Arni, so I decided to check out the place for myself. CHA cannot imagine my reaction when I saw it glimmering in the sand. Here have it back…" Korcha extended his hand to give Serge the amulet.

Serge wanted to seize the artefact, but he was so tired he was barely able to get his hand up. Seeing this, Korcha placed his paddle on the boat and went to Serge to place the amulet around his back.

"Here, now CHA won't drop it again."

"Uh, thanks, dude." And Serge's head fell again.

Viper manor, another world, 1020 A.D.

Harle was alone in her room, lying on her stomach on the red velvet couch. She was resting her elbows against the soft tissue to keep her head up peering at a crystal orb. Her slender legs were curled up and all her mind was set on the reflection of a blue haired teenager.

_…Oh, my poor Serge… You are exzausted… __But, alas pad d'oreiller pour te reposer…_

Harle touched the orb with the tip of her fingers and lightly stroked it as she would have done with Serge's hair.

_…Comme je voudrais… come to you, Serge, je pourrais… provide you with some rest… come to me, Serge, rest your head against my chest, mon Serge…_

All was so quiet around her and Harle was really enjoying the closest she could get from a night alone with Serge. Her only company were the dancing flames provided by the torches that were playfully casting random shadows against the objects of the room. The harlequin then heard a loud noise coming from the outside.

"Who darez interrupt? Je vais leur montrer."

Harle headed for the door and opened it only to find four completely drunk dragoons, all roaming the hallways trying to remember where their room was. She saw that one of them had dropped an empty bottle of whisky. Luckily for him, the glass hadn't shattered and the bottle was lying on the carpeted floor.

"You-you idiot, you will get us in-in trouble." One of them yelled against the visage of the clumsy dragoon.

"Hey, dude, don't push me or I'll-I'll be angry and-and you know what I do when-when I'm angry…" The other dragoon's mind was totally unable to incarnate anger at the moment.

"Yo, don't n-need this…remember, we-we are brothers, right?" A third one said, placing a hand on both comrades' shoulder.

"Uh, right, no anger, okay, we-we all go to sleep- sleep together, right…?"

With this all was forgiven and the four merrily turned the corner.

"Get in trouble, oui?" Harle picked the bottle from the floor and shattered it against the wall.

The four dragoons turned around as fast as their affected minds could, but only to see a door closing. From the inside of her cozy room, Harle soon heard the heavy footsteps of Karsh.

"So, what do we have here? A bunch of fucking boozers who shame the Viper name. You're really going to get it, drunk-asses." Karsh grabbed two of them by the shirt and dragged them to a room known as the purgatory.

"Shit, man, we really are-are in trouble, I think." One the dragoons sheepishly following said.

"Shut up, you two, and don't you dare try to run or you'll be taking my boot up the ass." Karsh yelled, his face crimson with rage.

Back in the comfort of her room Harle went back to her lonely illusions. But Serge's visage of kindness had become a chaotic swirl of purple and black. Another image was forming. Menacing glowing eyes appeared around a young girl with blonde hair. Her frail body was filled with dread as six massive beholders were discussing her fate in a language that she was completely unacquainted with.

_…Non , pleaze, pas cela, not again…_

Harle's eyes were filled with sadness as she turned her gaze away from the orb.

She had no idea what they were or even less what real power they held, but their burning breathes on her was enough to convince her that they would be deciding if she was to meet with the dark angel soon. She couldn't understand a word of what they were saying but it seemed as if they were quarrelling. Loud, sudden and aggressive grunts were emitted by one and another would reply with a head butt or by showing powerful fangs.

The girl was helpless and to her not much mattered at this moment. She was trapped, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, she was at the mercy of these strange beings. She cursed herself for getting in such a terrible situation, but her memory couldn't provide her with an explanation of how she had managed to find herself here.

How much time had passed since her heart had given serious warnings of bursting? Seconds, minutes, hours? It didn't matter much, these barbaric beings were surely arguing over which one of them would be devouring her flesh. Then the only one who hadn't produced a sound yet took a step forward. It appeared that the silent creature was the leader as all other ceased to fight the moment it moved. They all stepped away from the girl as the massive head went down on her.

Glowing red eyes were meeting with bright blue eyes. The smaller eyes instinctively closed and she turned away to run as fast as her slim legs could carry her. But how futile of her to try to run. She was crushed against the ground by an inhuman strength. The massive head was closing on her again. It was over, her body would be torn to pieces by them razor-sharp fangs if not crushed to dust. The head was moving ever so slowly, the creature was savouring the moment, the fear of her last grunts and moan of terror.

Now mere inches from her, the large jaws spread to reveal her fate. Her eyes were shut tightly and her teeth were gritted, preparing her body for the sudden short jolt of intense pain that would follow. The doors to hell were open and the smell of sulphur was everywhere. They pierced through the flesh of her arm. Blood was gushing from the wounds. Soon the pain would disappear and it would all be over…

But the brutal pain was insisting, it refused to let go of her tortured body. The creature refused to take her life, preferring the scent of fear and pain. Its fangs were dug in her flesh, somehow it didn't want her die. Her arm was numb, the numbness was spreading through her body. All of a sudden the rush adrenaline was over and her body was taken over by fatigue. She had to resist, she had to live, but her own weight was too much to bear and she collapsed. The jaws then reopened and the monster left the child to die…or survive to hell.

"Non! Assez!" Harle brutally slapped the orb so it would fall off the couch, but the soft carpet that covered the floor prevented it from shattering.

Harle took one last look at the crystal ball to see the shadows disappearing and the object becoming transparent again. She turned to lie on her side so she was facing the back of the couch and curled in a ball. She dreaded was sleep would bring but her mind and body were too tired to stay awake so she drifted in a slumber haunted by nightmares.

Here she was again, the nightmare was continuing exactly as it had started in the orb's shadows, like it happened ten year ago. Her body was impaled on a wooden pole. Her blood was leaving her, she wanted to escape, but the slightest movement would cause her flesh to tear some more and make the excruciating pain even stronger.

Those that had failed, those who hadn't been able to survive hell were around her, their dead bodies impaled next to her. Vanquished by pain, they shrouded the nightmare with hopelessness.

"Come, come and join us, give up, life is over, abandon and the pain shall end…" But Harle's body refused to obey, preferring pain.

The grotesque servants of hell were roaming around her tortured soul, disfigured demons reshaping their visage every moment to taunt her. Those that had chosen eternal darkness were dancing around her spirit which would soon be theirs to feast on. Unlike the impaled ones they weren't being tortured, but they would never be more than a tool to be used at will. She would never have joined their ranks and they weren't offering her a place among them, despising one another. They wanted nothing else than preying on her. One of them stopped in front of her and grimaced at her in the most devilish way, his mouth moving to replace its eyes, growing a hand in the middle of its face to grasp at her.

Beyond them stood infinite flames of red and green that formed an endless wall to prevent anyone from fleeing. Consuming the bodies once the souls had been taken care of by the tainted ones they were sputtering ever on like a grand chorus.

_…You belong to us now, you shall not be different, nothing more than another sacrifice for the sake of blood and loyalty…_

_…Will you seriously try to run…? You can't hope to cross the frontiers of hell, we extend to the infinity…_

"Aahhh!" She was awake again.

Her clothes were soaked in perspiration and she was resting against the soft couch, breathing with difficulty. It was merely a dream, but the pain was ever so real. There would be no rest for her that night. Her heart was pounding against her chest as she got up to reach the only place where she really felt protected.

The halls were empty and she had no trouble reaching the roof. Once outside she sat down and looked up. The sky was filled with stars here, unlike in Porre, where the light of the stars was completely washed away by that produced by the city day and night. But most of the time, the city was clouded in smog produced by the numerous facilities destined to provide the city with enough gun power to conquer the world.

Her eyes wandered for a moment, searching for the red orb. It was so small and dark compared to the white moon, but for a reason she couldn't explain, Harle felt as if this body was shining only for her, only to protect her. She lied on her side once more, resting her head against her left forearm and waited for the morning.

Guldove, another world, 1020 A.D.

Serge awoke rather late as usual the next morning. His whole body was aching but the curtains couldn't protect him from the sunlight anymore. Groggily, he pushed himself up so he was sitting in bed supporting his weight with his hands placed behind his body. He managed to force his eyelids open and let out a grunt of tiredness before swinging his feet over the edge and on the ground.

Once standing he looked at himself and realized he was only wearing briefs. Strangely enough, he couldn't remember taking off his clothes before going to sleep but his tired mind convinced him that it didn't matter that much upon seeing fresh ones hanging from a clothesline. They weren't exactly to his liking, but since it was this or wandering the village in briefs, he took the opportunity of putting on a pair of bright green shorts first. Once fully clothed, Serge went out to look for his friends.

He soon spotted Guile who was staring at the sea. Blinded by the sunlight, the boy's eyelids narrowed as he walked toward the magician.

"Nice outfit." Guile remarked.

"Same goes for you, dude…" They both chuckled.

"…but, do you have any idea of what happened to our real clothes, you know, it's not that I have something against tropical-flavoured shower curtains but I sorta like those I had when I first came here.

"Oh, you know Leena, once she woke up she couldn't resist the urge to rip us of them."

"Wonder why I don't believe this."

"Hmm, perspicacious this morning, must be the Guldovian rainbow…" Serge kept looking at Guile, expressing his will to really know what happened to his clothes.

"Alright, alright, Macha said she wouldn't feel good about herself at all if we continued to wear mud-covered clothing. You're not too disappointed?"

"I'll probably survive, but what happened with Kid?"

"I don't know, the doctor took the humour last night and said he would be back with news in the morning. Guess it shouldn't be long now."

As they were speaking Doc came walking toward them. He stopped in front of them and Serge looked at him as if he had committed the worst of sins when he took off his toque to wipe some sweat off of his forehead before speaking to them.

"So, how is she?"

"The patient is still a bit weak, but she's cured, dudes. She'd like to speak with you, Sergei-boy." Doc said casually, replacing his headgear.

Serge immediately headed for the hospital.

"Go for it, my knight in his shining armor." Guile shouted from behind.

Serge kept running as fast as he could on the wooden planks but came to a sudden halt when he met the white curtain that separated him from Kid. What exactly was he going to tell her? What would she be telling him? Only it was too late since his mind had already managed to make his right pull the curtain, so he stepped inside. He found her seating in bed against a pillow, hands resting on her head, her eyes gazing at chimes made from denadorite shards that hungs from the ceiling. The wind was clanking the shards together, producing mind-soothing noises.

Her beautiful face didn't hoist that ill-looking white halo so typical to undeads, but was shining with energy. Serge knew he should have been using his mind to find something suitable to say, but he'd rather take the opportunity to just stare at her. However, Kid's enthusiastic voice called him back to reality.

"Oi, mate, c'mon I'm not gonna eat you." She outlined a bright smile, reminding Serge of her natural cheerful mood and plopped the bed with her right hand.

Serge timidly stepped inside and sat on the bed, facing away from her.

"So, uh, how are you feeling?" He managed to say, turning his head to look at her.

"Oi, never felt so good. I could swim all the way to the mainland. Ya didn't really think that this little bee sting would take me out? I bet I'd have been okay even without that humour."

"Uh, yeah, probably…" Serge's gaze went to the floor as he remembered all the trouble he went through to get his hands on the precious fluid. He was actually expecting a little more gratitude.

Kid's smile slowly vanished as she saw this.

"…I mean, sorry, the nurse told me how you got the humour, and I appreciate it, y' know, it's just that, well, I'm really not used to have people care and show concern for me. In a way, I guess I never learned to say thanks, if you know what I mean, but since you deserve it, here it comes, don't be too hard on me, okay?" Kid took a deep breath before continuing.

"Thanks, mate…So, uh, how was it?"

"Alright, no problem." Serge couldn't help but chuckle at Kid's attempt.

Kid renewed her smile, pushed the white sheets aside and got up.

"Oi, now that we're done with the outpourings, it's time ta get dressed again, not gonna spend the rest of my days in this gown." She grabbed her clothes from the clothesline and placed them on a stool.

She grabbed the back of the gown's collar with both hands and began pulling it upwards, revealing slender tanned legs. Serge's eyes flew to the sight and his heart began pounding against his chest. His cheeks had turned a bright red. A few more inches would reveal her panties.

_…she isn't really going to…?_

Serge's mind was screaming that this was definitely not alright but his hormones had taken over. But they left cursing as Kid stopped the motion. His mind was relieved, but his heart was still racing and his forehead was covered in sweat.

Kid slowly turned around and found the boy staring at her like he would at a juicy piece of meat. Her eyes quickly took a look to the side and went back to Serge. She smiled seductively and brought her pony-tail in front of her shoulder so she could caress it with one hand. She languorously walked to him and looked straight in his eyes. Serge was convinced his heart would come out of his ribs when she bent and extended her other hand to reach his. However, he was caught literally off-guard when Kid brutally pulled him up and her smile changed to one of playful disdain.

"Oi, ya weren't seriously thinking about it, mate?" Serge was only able to stammer a few words as Kid pushed him to the exit.

"Ya know, mate, all males truly are pervs." She said in a fake angry tone and pushed him outside.

Serge struggled to maintain balance and gasped for air as he grabbed the wooden handrail. He cursed himself mentally for having completely lost control over his hormones and his breathing slowly went back to normal. But his knew his ordeal wasn't over when he saw Guile coming over to him. The magician placed his forearms on the handrail and looked ahead.

"So, how is she?" He said, without looking at her.

"Well, she kicked me out so I wouldn't see her change."

Serge wanted to slash his own tongue, having absolutely no idea what made him say that. Guile remained silent for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"She did what?" He turned to the boy, in a way hoping that the teenager was serious about it.

"You heard me."

"Aw, forget it." Serge was pissed at himself for having been unable to control his big mouth and pushed Guile away from him.

Guile remained silent with a serious look on his face for a moment so Serge would believe he understands the teenager had no interest in making this conversation continue. Eventually Serge let his guard down and Guile slowly approached him.

"Don't worry, boy, I'm sure you'll have another chance when she bathes in a river with Leena." Guile playfully patted Serge on the Serge and burst in laughter again.

"Don't push your luck, man." But Guile knew Serge's words held no real threat so he raised a taunting eyebrow which Serge simply shrugged off.

"Alright, Conan, now that you've spared me, have you decided what you were going to do now?"

"Try to find one hell of a good excuse so I can approach Kid again without having her yell I'm a perv to the world." Serge was convinced Guile wasn't done with him yet.

"No, you silly." Guile jerked his head backward in exasperation.

"I was talking about what the prophet told you back in Viper manor."

"Uh?" Serge's mind tried to go back in time to remember the old sage's words.

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten."

"Oh, you mean that I'm some sort of missing piece to a puzzle drawn here by a strange force? Sounds like bullshit to me."

"…Yeah, I have to admit it seems completely unrealistic at first sight…" Something in Guile's tone hinted he wasn't so convinced about the prophet's words being nothing but raving.

"You don't seem to agree with me, uh, is there something I should know…?" Serge looked at Guile inquiringly.

"Well, at one point of my life I was also shocked to learn that the world actually extends beyond what your eyes can see."

"What's this supposed to mean?" Serge was at a complete loss for understanding.

"I'll leave it up to you to figure out. I think you should take the rest of the day to reflect on this and make your own decision. Meanwhile I'll be at the element shop, I heard they've just had an arrival of rare elements." Guile turned around and walked away from Serge.

Serge stood there grimacing, his brain putting every effort it could muster to find a signification to Guile's words. After several minutes of pondering having produced no result at all he decided he would take a walk around the village.

Serge's feet carried him on the creaking planks heated by the sun. Around him people were all minding their own business, carrying on their eventless routine, going through the same day over and over again. He knew very well what it was like to live resting assured life was limited to your little town.

_…But I traveled to this world, came back to mine and now back here with an amulet…_

Someone or something wanted him to be more than that. So many times he had dreamed of heading out seeking adventure and danger, however it didn't seem so appealing right now. He was a bit angry at this being that was dragging him away from a cozy life, but could he afford to refuse. Refusing to follow Karsh a few days earlier he had barely been able to escape death. That thing detained a lot of power, both spiritual and physical and was determined to get something from him…but what?

And then there were the others. Kid had traveled with him to Viper manor claiming she had business there. And strangely enough she had already met with that Lynx. That demi-human who seemed to know more about him that he did. There was that unusual harlequin who seemed to have a thing for him but couldn't stand Kid. General Viper, the lord of El Nido who represented power and safety for all within the archipelago seemed to have sided with the demi-human…why? There was Leena, two Leenas in fact, one the real, one a fake, both real, both fake, so different yet so alike. Did the Leena from this world really wanted him to be the friend of her childhood. Did he really want to know? And there was Guile. So knowledgeable it appeared but there was something about him, about his past maybe Serge really didn't know if he wanted to find out. Why was he helping them, did he know something important, could Guile's will be to have him go after the answers?

These questions and the prophet's word were dancing in his mind like mocking spirits taunting him, teasing him. His mind was going haywire and he had to stop it. Serge forcefully brought his hands to his face to press his palms against his eyes, his last resort was to wake up from this nightmare. When he removed his hands he was seeing colourful dots dancing in front of him. They eventually disappeared to reveal a familiar shape.

"Serge? Are you alright? You sure seem preoccupied."

"Uh, Leena…Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

"Well, that something seems to have the capacity to tear your head apart, you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Leena gave the impression she really did want to know what was troubling Serge.

Serge considered her for a moment. Should he confide to her. Was there any point to it? Could her opinion corrupt his decision? Could she be able to help him figure out this odd puzzle? Serge shook his head, pushing all further questions away, he needed to get some weight off his mind.

"You remember the prophet's word?" Serge's assertion caught Leena off guard.

"I, what?"

"You remember the old man in Viper manor and all the things he said about me being a lost piece of a puzzle and thus creating two parallel worlds?"

"Oh, yeah, that sure was some strange talk, but then again I can't deny what happened in my mind when I saw you, as if I had seen a ghost." Leena giggled, a little ashamed of her explosive reaction that day.

"Yeah, well, there are two worlds, and there is me. But what's the point of all this? Why was I brought here after so many years that I lived peacefully in my world? One thing is sure there's at least one person somewhere who wants me to find out or at least get something from me."

Leena looked aside for a moment, puzzled by Serge's talk. So far Serge had been satisfied in following someone else. He went to Viper manor with Kid and was led to the marsh by Guile, but now he was telling her he would be assuming the leader role and was asking her for counselling.

"Uh, and what is Guile saying about all this? You know it's not that I'm saying he will lead us to the promised land, but so far he was able to get us out of serious messes. "

Just as he had thought. Leena wasn't eager to provide him with advice, preferring to send him to Guile.

"I already asked him, or rather he asked with what I would be doing, saying this is my decision and he isn't gonna decide for me this time."

"Oh, I see…"

"So I'm asking you… You said you weren't sure if I was the friend you've once known… You still want to find out?" Serge looked down, dreading the answer to his question.

"…Yes, yes, I still want to know." Leena nodded.

Serge looked up to her face, having expected this answer but uncertain to like it.

"You know, I'm only a girl from a small village and I hold no knowledge on parallel worlds and wormholes, but I liked that boy, and if there was a chance that I could see him again…" Serge didn't need her to finish that sentence to know what she meant.

"Serge, I really don't know where you'll have to look for answers, but wherever you're going I'm going too." Leena displayed a determined smile.

"You're, what? I, but…"

"Hey, are you saying I won't be able to handle this? I think I've proved I can take care of myself…even if I don't have much experience in adventuring like Guile or Kid."

"Uh, sorry, I, it's not what I meant, I mean if you really consider this maybe I'm not that boy and then you'd have gone through a lot for no reason and…"

"I know, but it's too late now. You see, the more I get to know you, the more I think you could have been that boy, so I can't turn back now.

"…"

"And what about Kid? What is she planning to do now? I'm not sure exactly what she was after in Viper manor but it seems she hasn't gotten her hands on it, so…"

Serge was afraid of the direction this conversation was taking and immediately made a move to redirect it as he had absolutely no desire to relate the earlier events that involved Kid and him.

"Yeah, well, I saw her and she told me that I should be keeping her amulet." Serge took the amulet from his pocket so hoping Leena would get message.

"I see, so I guess it means she thinks you should go after whatever that thing that summoned you here is."

Serge nodded and replaced the relic in his garment.

"Well, Serge, I'm afraid I won't be of much more help than Guile since all I can really tell you is that in the end it will your decision. I wish to know if you were that friend I once had, but I won't insist anymore, so it's up to you now. I'm going to go help Macha with tonight's feast."

"Feast…?"

"Oh, nobody told you, the village leader said we would be having a feast tonight to celebrate Kid's healing."

Leena waited no further and walked past Serge, leaving him alone with the burden of the decision on his shoulders once more.

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The night had fallen and a large bonfire had been lit in the center of a special islet reserved for celebrations near Guldove. All guldovians, human or demi-human, were gathered around a large table that encircled the fire. Cheerful noises were coming from everywhere and the fire was warming the hearts with sparkles that aimed for the stars without ever succeeding. People were beginning to seat at the table as large silver plates containing exquisite food were brought. Soon all were seated and silent as the village leader stood, indicating she would be making a speech.

She remained silent for a moment, turning her head from side to side, her old eyes shining with wisdom connected with that of all but one guest. A warm smile was spread on her wrinkle-covered visage.

"My friends, we are gathered around this table tonight to celebrate life. When life is threatened it is only normal for the brave and bold to put theirs at stake to preserve that precious gift. Over the last few days many of you put every ounce of energy you had so life would continue for someone. Death is cruel and its mercilessness is sometimes unavoidable and eventually mandatory for all, but I only deem fair that the young will remain on this planet as long as it takes to surpass the old. Tonight we aren't celebrating the avoidance of a certain event, but rather the knowledge that the necessity to take full advantage of the present moment is what truly makes life worth living and risking. And now, let's rejoice and eat."

All willingly grabbed utensils and began stuffing their mouths with as much as they could. Laugh echoed far in the night sky as stomachs were happily filled.

Serge finally raised his eyes from his plate to look at the leader but only saw a large wooden chair decorated with a cozy crimson fur. He returned his eyes to his plate once more. He hadn't eaten since the morning but had to force himself to swallow a piece of fried fish. All around him were celebrating, even Kid, Guile and Leena. He would truly be facing this decision alone. Nobody seemed to care, probably a normal reaction since none was concerned by this matter more than he was. Serge stabbed his fork in another piece of fish but replaced it in his plate, realizing he wouldn't be able to eat it. Suddenly he felt salvation coming to him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, soft and light, without a doubt the hand of a woman.

Serge turned his head to get a sight of the hand's owner and saw a tall woman with long white hair the reached a few inches below her shoulders. She was dressed in a simple silk white gown on which a blue piece of tissue was embroidered. A large emerald hung from a thin golden chain that looped around the back of her frail neck. Her shoulders were covered by a long black cape that reached her sandals. Serge stared in her light brown eyes and found her rather attractive though he was totally unable to place a number on her age.

"Who…who are you?"

"I am Steena, I am a shaman versed in the arcane magic. I feel a very heavy load resting on your shoulders. I know of someone who can provide some of your interrogations with answers."

She walked away and Serge quickly followed her seized with the idea of an encounter with someone who could lighten the weight on his shoulders.

The shaman stopped before a tall ladder that led to a large tent that stood above all others.

"Here, she is expecting you." She gestured for Serge to climb the ladder.

Serge grabbed the wooden poles and looked at the shaman one last time. She didn't flinch, signalling he would be going alone. Having climbed the seventy-seven bars of the ladder Serge let out a sight and looked below, relieved it was over as it was already late and he was getting tired. He noticed the shaman was gone but shrugged it off as he had more pressing matters on his mind. He needed to make a decision and the only person rumoured to be able to help him was in the large red tent that stood in front of him.

He carefully took a peek before entering. A warm air was coming from the building made of heckran leather. Serge could hear someone mumble words in a language that was unknown to him. He stepped inside and saw to large pillars topped by a large metal basket filled with burning pieces of charcoal from which emanated fumes that twirled toward an opening to the sky. Behind a strange altar sat an old woman. She appeared to be in some sort of trance and her face was serene. Not wanting to disturb her Serge decided to take a look around and his jaw dropped as he spotted the shaman standing behind him.

_…What the… They've got to be twins or something…_

The shaman didn't react to Serge expression of surprise and simply walked past him to the meditating woman.

"Priestess, he is here." The old woman slowly opened her eyes and looked at the shaman and then at Serge.

She got up and walked to the altar but seated behind it, closed her eyes once more and waited. Serge looked around him, assuming someone else would indicate him what to do. There was nobody else and Serge decided to carefully approach the altar and sat facing the priestess.

"Mmmh, your skills in telepathy could use some honing young man."

"Uh?" Serge was taken aback by the woman's words.

"Oh, yes, but you aren't here for this, now, are you? I am high priestess Direa, heir to the legacy of Vexus and spiritual leader of Guldove. Words have reached my old ears that you carry a heavy burden on your shoulders and are looking for answers. My knowledge may be very limited no matter what the appearances might tell you but I might be able to guide you, so why not let me hear your story." Direa's voice radiated an infinite kindness and calm.

It took Serge an hour to tell his story. Sometimes it seemed the priestess had simply fallen asleep as she would never speak a word but every time Serge stopped assuming she wasn't listening to him she nodded, indicating she was still focused on the teenager's words. Once Serge was done she remained silent for a moment.

"Is that it?" She simply asked, definitely not in a hurry.

"Well, pretty much, so, what do you think I should do?"

"Now, young man, I have to say this is one of the most interesting tales I've heard…But as for giving you advice, this is most complicated. You see, this whole mess doesn't concern only you, does it? Those three people you've told me of are bind to you by an inviolable chain. They also seek answers and seem to need you to help them clear some fog.

"But I…"

"Yes, yes, I know, and what's more, a lot of this story is speculation, stories derived from various legends. That astral amulet and the wormhole you've told me however clearly indicate that there is something about you. Few can claim to have crossed dimensions and even less to have been able to make it back to their original world. And as for the cause of your presence here, I'm afraid I have no clue as to what it could be? However, it is clear that it is the result of will and not simply a random event."

"But how can you be sure of this?"

"Someone stole the dragon tear of hate."

"I, what does this have to do with my story" For a moment Serge was tempted to believe the priestess was making fun of him.

"I do not know who stole it, but this ancient relic is believed to have the power to re-activate Fort Dragonia. I do not know of the full potential of this place either. Some say this building was nothing more than a military fortress, some say the six great dragon gods sleep deep within the ground underneath the fort, some would claim it hides the legendary treasure known as the frozen flame and some would remind you that this is all rubbish to excite children and make them dream at night. But the facts remains that there is someone out there who knows how to use the tear and needs you to proceed with the scheme."

Serge was at a complete loss of words. Most of this didn't make much sense to him since there was still nothing indicating that the thief wanted something with him.

"Do not worry, young one, I hear the thirst for answer of your spirit. You see, this amulet, you bear contains some of the metal that was used to carve the original dragon tear, the one that was split to form the emblem of love and that of hate. I searched all of my life for the missing part, but now I see why I couldn't find it anywhere: all this time the tear of love was in your world."

Serge stood in awe at the priestess' deductions.

"Once reunited these three represent a key. What door does it open? I cannot tell, but someone or something wants to open Pandora's box. I have no clue as to the consequences of such an act, but one thing is certain, if you decide to follow the call of that being, the key will be assembled and the door shall be opened."

"And as for the advice" Serge was getting rather impatient as the woman's blabbering seemed to be meaningless to him.

"My advice is a follows: whenever the compass of your mind messes up, remember that the wind knows the way through the maze of existence." With that the priestess turned her back to him and went back to her meditation.

Serge remained seated, desperately hoping he would be getting a real piece of advice after going through that, but the shaman went to him, signalling it was time for him to leave. As he was about to exit the tent, he heard the old woman's voice again and sharply turned his head to her.

"Oh, and I'd be extremely careful around the one you call Harle. She may appear like an omniscient ally, but her spirit is the product of chaos."

Serge was escorted outside and left to himself once more. The fresh air of the night was a relief after the scorching heat of the priestess' shrine. But more than ever it seemed that no one could help him.

"Follow the wind… Yeah, right, there's not the slightest breeze here." He said, extending his arms to the sides and letting them fall back to his body in despair.

Completely exhausted Serge yawned and stretched before going down the ladder.

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Guile had been rather quiet since during the banquet. After all, even though he wasn't the center of the mess he had gotten involved in he most certainly needed to make a decision. He was still unsure of what he would be doing. He would likely be making his final choice upon hearing Serge's decision but he needed to carve an option for every possibility involved as to Serge's decision.

It was undeniable that he had gotten familiar with these people but he also had his own purpose, his own way to go. Secretly he wished that it wouldn't be parting with Serge's, but no one could predict what was going on in the boy's head right now. He silently cursed himself for letting his ego dictate his move earlier that day when he refused to advice Serge.

He had been pacing up and down a few meters away from the dancers for a good hour and suddenly felt fatigue spread through his body. He rubbed his face with his left hand and looked at those whose minds were free, those whose life was limited to the small victories each day brought. Depriving himself from letting go of his worries when the night comes to let body and mind rest sure had taken a toll on him. Sometimes he wondered how old he really was, sometimes he felt he was as old as the world and sometimes he simply couldn't remember.

It felt odd that the next person he caught sight of was, in his mind, the one he should take as a model if he wanted to have any hope of taking freedom up again. There she was, completely exhausted from having spent every ounce of energy on those exotic dances. Her face was red from the effort and her body was covered in sweat that was quickly evaporating in the fresh air of the night. She had gone to a large table to get something refreshing to drink. Yet something was suspicious. The girl quickly jerked her head from side to side as if she feared someone would see what she was going to do. This immediately brought a smile to Guile's lips.

_…Oi, great, no one around, here I'll spice up this sissy drink…_

She reached inside her jacket and produced a small metal bottle. She didn't loose a second pouring it in the large glass bowl and got rid of the incriminating container. Just when she was sure she'd be getting away with it she felt something poking in her back.

"And here you don't seem to be enjoying the food, putting your oar in pretty much everything you see."

Kid carefully turned around and was rather irritated to see the magician pointing his rod at her like he would at a disobedient child.

"Oi, can't you mind your own frickin' business once in a while, don't ya have ta take a bunny out of yer hat or something, 'sides I didn't do anything wrong, just wanted ta fuel up this party a bit."

Absolutely not satisfied with Kid's answer Guile proceeded to pour himself a glass of the new beverage and downed the drink in one, his wand still aimed at Kid.

"Pouring alcohol in the punch, I wasn't expecting any lower from you." He said, refusing to lower his wand.

"…But I wonder… which of these nice country folks agreed to give this to an underage." Guile pressed his wand against Kid's abdomen a little.

Reluctant to tell the truth Kid eventually gave in to Guile's accusing stare and pointed at a young woman standing a couple of feet away from them. Guile turned his head to get a sight of the provider and suddenly wondered if it was the drink he just had but for a reason he couldn't explain he felt like doing something that would have appeared literally reckless.

Guile confidently walked to a blonde young woman standing just on the edge of the pontoon. Her hair was tied in two pigtails that reached her shoulders. The magician couldn't help but look at her slim but muscular legs revealed but her short skirt.

"Strange, I used to think one shouldn't be going around providing those underage with alcohol."

The woman instantly reacted to Guile's statement by turning around and placing her left hand on her hip. She found herself face to face with Guile.

"Well, well, well, caring for those younger and more vulnerable than you… how charming in a man…" The woman took a step to the side and without giving Guile time to realize what she up to they had traded places.

The woman brought a finger to Guile's chest and slowly traced a line on his exposed skin while smiling in a seductive way. Realizing she was easier than he had believed Guile decided to take a step back to add a bit of distance between them but…

_…Oh, damn it…_

The woman's palm connected with his chest and her arm extended. Guile fell in the water with a loud splashing noise. He struggled a bit to get his head out of the water and looked upward. He then caught sight of the last person he wanted to hear about now.

"Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum, matey! Aye cap'n, man overboard, should we make him walk the plank so he can swim with the sharks?" Kid was sitting on the wooden structure and swinging her legs above him.

Guile had never wished his arm was only a few inches longer so he could get a hold on Kid's foot.

"And here's to the sailor of lousy-loving, cheers!" Kid said, raising her glass to Guile's misfortune.

Guile slowly swam to a small boat, climbed in it and walked back on the red planks. He walked nonchalantly to Kid, pretending his ego wasn't hurt, simply busying himself wringing his ample soaked clothes.

"Oi, cap'n lover-boy, the sea's choppy, isn't it?" Kid was standing against the massive handrail and raised her glass to him once more bursting in laughter.

Guile pretended not to have heard her and smiled while raising his wand. In a flash he threw the staff at the thief. Her reflexes diminished by the alcohol, Kid didn't have time to dodge and expected to feel pain but then realized that Guile had missed.

"Oi, ya sure need practice, Guile of hearts." But the handrail suddenly gave under Kid's weight and she met the same fate as Guile.

Guile walked to the edge to admire the work the two sharp swords his staff had turned into right before the impact and then looked down at Kid.

"Gee, girl, you sure rock the boat." Guile was about to turn around, but returned his eyes to Kid once last time.

"Oh, one last thing, just make sure Sergei-boy doesn't sees you like this; his young head could explode even before the morning comes."

With this Guile walked back to his tent, feeling the fatigue spread in his body.

_…Gee, I must make sure I don't spend another ten years without talking to a woman…_

Viper manor, another world, 1020 A.D.

Lynx was alone in the vast library of the manor. He had been researching books for the whole day. An average human, an average demi-human an well, would have called it a day, their poor mind exhausted, discouragement having spread through it. But Lynx wasn't exactly not an average human nor an average demi-human. For years now he had his eyes set on one goal and he wouldn't give up now. He was so close yet his time was running out.

He was sitting behind a desk covered with piles of books. His sharp black irises had been running over all of them without succeeding in finding what he was looking for. He suddenly stopped to take a look around him and realized the night had fallen. Lynx closed the book and placed it on the desk with the others. He pressed his thumb and index against the corner of his eyes to alleviate the pain in the small muscles.

Feet crossed under the wooden piece of furniture he stretched nonchalantly and turned his gaze to a small glowing orb that rested among the old books. He crossed his arms on the desk and bent over to gaze into it.

…_This is most fascinating… I knew he was no ordinary geezer, possessing such a device…_

Lynx observed light blue clouds that danced in the sphere for a moment and brought a calloused hand on it. The device then proceeded to grant him his wish. The clouds turned into a view from the sky of the manor. The demi-human was flying above the structure like a tyrannical dragon, raging against the moons that defied him, glowing in the far away space. Below the mere humans were living another day, simply following the orders given to them.

None of them dared to question life and its meaning, after all they were soldiers, all trained to never ask questions. Swooping toward the tallest tower in caught a glimpse of someone he wasn't expecting to see after the darkness had engulfed the land for the night. His eyes immediately focused on that person and his wings straightened as he prepared to land.

Riddel softly closed the door behind her and locked it with the key she had grabbed from the vault. She took a moment to look around and once she was sure she was alone she climbed the stairs to the second floor and took another key from her pocket. She inserted it in the matching lock of a wooden drawer. She slid the drawer open and picked a small book with a green cover. Riddel then pulled two chairs, sat on one and placed her delicate feet on the other.

She couldn't remember how many times she had been scolded by her father and nurse about this behind absolutely unladylike but she was alone now and certainly old enough to decide how to live her life, at least how to sit comfortably to read. She opened the book, placed it against her palm and began reading. Riddel was absorbed in the book to the point that she was completely unaware of the other person in the room. Suddenly a shadow was cast on the paper. The young woman frowned, angered at this candle that had given up on her during one of those rare moments she could devote to herself.

She raised her eyes and was shocked to see that this sudden darkening had nothing to do with a blown candle. She gasped and quickly got up at the sight of the feline demi-human who merely raising his eyebrows as if wondering what she had to fear from him. Her eyes rapidly went to the book that she had accidentally dropped in her haste.

Lynx's eyes showed no threat…for the moment but with every step he took toward her Riddel instinctively took a step back. Soon Riddel's book was lying by the demi-human's feet. He slowly bent to pick it up and read the title aloud.

"_A History of Lust and Vengeance_… This is most inappropriate for such a young and impressionable lady as you." Lynx's yellow eyes returned to Riddel.

"What I read in privacy is none of your business, sir Lynx."

"Oh, is that so? But what about your father? I'm no tattler but something tells me he could be interested in knowing that his precious daughter is reading books placed in a locked drawer."

Lynx had taken several steps forward and Riddel several steps backward. She was now stuck between the wall and the demi-human, once more.

"Oh, but I suppose it is not of his business either… You know, this strange ability to engulf oneself in an illusion where one had full control over his own life, then on other people's lives, then on the rest of the world… How foolish, how pathetic, how… human."

"But you, you are half-human, aren't you?" Riddel's earlier courage had faded in the shadow of the demi-human. He was tall, way too tall for her to stand his shadow.

The demi-human brought his face down so it was inches from that of Riddel.

"Yes, indeed, half of me is human, that we both know for sure, but what about the other half? By simple curiosity, what do you understand about it, what knowledge do you really possess about me? Go ahead, only a few minutes ago you would have probably challenged me in a duel, why don't you show this courage again. But beware, your weakness to always brag about your own knowledge to impress others might turn to your disadvantage this time." The demi-human was delighted with this instant. She was his now, and there would be no one to interfere this time.

"You, I know what you want. It's the frozen flame that you desire, isn't it?" Riddel's body was trembling and she struggled to stand the demi-human's gaze.

"Absolutely right, my dear lady, and what are you going to do about it?"

"You have corrupted my father, but you'll never taint me, monster." Riddel had to draw deep from within her inner strength to find the courage to make this statement.

For a second she was scared the demi-human would plunge his sharp fangs in her neck and murder her but he closed his eyes, smiled, lowered his chin and eventually chuckled.

"My dear lady, you are but a spoiled brat." He whispered in her ear.

"One day you will rule this archipelago and when this time comes I sincerely hope you have learned this very important lesson that all leaders should know."

"Life is not about what you want to do, it is about what you can do and what you cannot do. If your father agreed to lend me his power to seek the frozen flame, it is simply because I made him see that it would be a grave mistake to refuse. Now do not get me wrong, I did not threaten him or anybody else, it would have simply resulted in my immediate death. I only persuaded him that it was the best thing for him to do and now he will follow any advice I give him as long as he can get his hands on the treasure of the dragons."

Riddel continued to look in the eyes of the demi-human in silence.

"Now you know what my other half is about, but why would I care about you knowing my secret, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. An isolated man is nothing, my dear. With this I now wish you a good night and will leave you to pursue my goal." Lynx's voice was booming with confidence as he knew Riddel represented no threat to him anymore.

Lynx calmly left the room and closed the door behind him, leaving his victim panting and struggling for her own sanity like a vampire would leave a corpse dried of its blood behind itself.

Soon after, a second guest showed up. Riddel didn't know if she had the strength to face anyone else but was relieved when she saw the familiar face of the scholar who preferred to be referred as the prophet of time.

"Are you alright, my lady, what happened?" The old man' eyes showed much care and concern for her.

"I, yes, I was only reading…"

"A most disturbing reading session. Are you sure you do not wish to retire to your room?"

"No, I, I will be alright."

"I warned you to take it lightly. I allowed you to read this book even if the elite would never consider it appropriate for a young woman, but now I'm worried…"

"No, no, it's okay, I'm fine." Riddel cut him off hoping to reassure the prophet.

"Well, then, if you say so, I will be going to the third floor to continue my studies." The prophet walked to the ladder and climbed to the upper-most floor.

Riddel took the book from the desk and squeezed it to the point where her whole body was trembling. She surely was an educated and refined young woman but anger was too strong of an emotion to contain for her.

Guldove, Another world, 1020 A.D.

Serge was sitting alone on a wooden crate in a small tent. He was barely able to sleep at all that night but for the first time since he had been drawn into that wormhole he felt refreshed and his mind appeared clear. He had come to a decision and even though there were still many problems to solve for him and many questions remaining answerless the fact that he had finally managed to chose the path he would be following seemed to have lightened the burden resting on his shoulders a lot. The others were supposed to be meeting him shortly so he would be exposing them his idea. Serge placed his hands behind his head, closed his eyes and rested his head against another crate.

Soon he heard someone pull tissue to enter. Serge had not yet forgotten yesterday's incident and felt a bit uneasy being alone in a tent with Kid again. The thief only needed a brief look at Serge to notice that something was wrong with him.

"Oi, mate, something's wrong? Don't tell me you're still upset 'cuz of that little mind-game I played on ya yesterday."

Serge felt a bit ashamed of himself having been totally unable to handle the situation.

"Well, uh, you sorta took me by surprise…"

"Oh, I see, ya thought I was too much of a lady to do that kind of stuff, didn't ya mate?"

Serge felt rather angry at himself for letting Kid turn the discussion to her advantage again. Kid soon remembered that she was here to hear something important from Serge along with the others and decided it was probably not the best time to tease him.

"Oi, alright, mate, I'm sorry, but ya know, chicks will be playing this kind of trick on you for the rest of your life, so ya just need to relax a bit and show yur not impressed, that's all."

"Uh, okay, I'll try…" Serge rubbed the back of his head still ashamed that it was Kid who was teaching him how to deal with this.

Both Kid and Serge sharply turned their heads to the entrance as they heard another person coming in. Guile soon shown an ear-to-ear smile.

"Are we interrupting something? Because we don't mind coming back later to give you two time together alone."

"Oi, get your arse here, magiboy! Serge was about ta tell us something important, so you'd better shut yer big trap for once and listen." Kid really didn't appreciate Guile's remark and she wasn't going to bother telling him in a polite way.

"Have I ever said confessing one's feelings wasn't something important?" Guile said, walking to stand next to Kid who didn't lose a second in ramming the nut of her dagger against the magician's shin.

"Oww!" Guile simply laughed the pain off and went to stand facing his three friends.

"Well, mate, we're all here and I promise magiboy will not open his big mouth and let you speak." Kid said, giving Guile a threatening look in case he was ever tempted to let out another of his trusty comments.

Guile simply smiled in reply to Kid's threat and raised a hand while lowering his head, signalling he wouldn't be speaking before Serge was done with his announcement.

"Alright, guys, I've decided I've come too far to turn back, so I'm going that, uh whatever, it is that wanted me to come here. I don't know where it'll take me or if I'll survive this, but I'm going and whoever will want to follow me will be welcome." Serge was glad it was over and looked nervously at his pals expecting an answer.

"Well, you already know what I would be doing." Was Leena's shy answer.

Serge nodded in thanks and then looked at Kid.

"Oi, are you kidding, last time I followed you I almost ended up drowned so no way I'll be turning down an offer like that, I'm coming with ya, mate." Kid's answer had succeeded in bringing an early look of disappointment on Serge's face but it was quickly replaced with a smile.

The three then turned their heads to Guile who was staring at the floor, arms crossed over his chest, pretending to be pondering the matter.

Kid's lips instantly pursed in anger upon seeing Guile's grin once more.

"Obviously none of you could manage to survive such an ordeal without me around, so I guess I have but the option of watching over the three of you… Count me in." It was clear that none of the teenagers enjoyed Guile's remark but considering they had no idea what awaited them they all shrugged it off.

"Now, the first thing to do will be to actually decide where to search." They were all glad that Guile had agreed to put aside his legendary sense of humor for a while.

"I know who I'll look for: Lynx. I don't know exactly what he wants with me but he knows things about me that even I don't know so I'm going after him. He won't have to put up much of a fight to get to me 'cause I'm coming to him." Guile nodded seriously.

"In this case we'll all have to be extremely careful. Not only did this demi-human radiate a very strong field of dark energy when we first met him but he also appears to have the whole Acacia army to back him up if the need be."

"Oi, gimme a break, that bastard is no threat. He's just some motherfucker I'll give a ride on my very own merry-go-round once I've caught him by da tail."

"Look, Kid, I really don't doubt of your potential to swing cats around, but yesterday when I was talking to the priestess…"

Kid was frustrated at Serge for not taking her seriously and couldn't help but retalitate.

"So, you've followed that shaman to her tent, didn't ya? Don't you think she's a little old for you?" But the fire burning in her was soon put out by the look the others gave her.

"…Oi, alright, alright, sorry, just go on." Kid crossed her arms, still refusing to believe the demi-human could survive her lust for vengeance.

"Well, she told me she knew of someone who could help me. He knows a lot about Lynx and could give us some hints as to what to expect from him. He lives alone on a small island northeast of here and goes by the name of Radius."

"You mean the ex-deva?" Leena asked.

"Yeah, the ex-deva, apparently that he fought in the war against Porre in which Lynx was also involved."

"Well, it seems that we have found our first destination. I suggest we take the rest of the day to prepare for the trip and rest. I have a feeling this will be no easy journey."

They all got up, agreeing to Guile's suggestion and headed out. Kid waited for Serge and Leena to be out before approaching Guile.

"You are definitely gonna be swimming with the sharks again, magiboy."

"Anytime you want." The magician replied.

"Uh, what do mean?" Serge asked, wondering what Kid meant.

"Oi, I just managed to have our friend magiboy take a force midnight bath yesterday night." Kid said, expressing her pride in the look she gave Guile.

"Yes, and unlike me our young lady here didn't hesitate for a moment before joining me." Guile's smile only succeeded in further irritating the girl.

Serge's jaw dropped, completely lost at the meaning of these statements.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's notes : Yep, I'm back from the dead. Pm me if you wish to know what after-life is like.

**Chapter 13 : Know Your Enemy**

Viper manor, another world, 1020 A.D.

Riddel was walking alone in the empty hallways of the manor. Of course the manor's hallways were usually rather quiet at this time of the day, but this part of the manor had been deserted for a long time. Nobody dared to enter it fearing to be flooded with those memories. Of all who live under the Viper roof Riddel had to be the one to suffer the most from those memories…but it didn't matter. She continued to walk, she was beginning to feel nostalgic. She could almost hear echoes from the past emanating from those silent walls.

Her long hair now fell over her face and covered her cheeks, her only protection against this horrible feeling, a very illusionary protection, but it managed to keep her going. She still remembered so well that she didn't even need the light of a candle to roam in this forbidden area. Her steps were steady but they stopped abruptly in front two large doors each decorated with a golden snake. She paused for a moment. Maybe she was going too far… no, he had pushed her to this last resort, she had to do something before he'd take what little happiness she had left in this world. She knew some would blame her but she sincerely wished that those for whom she was doing it would understand.

She placed her delicate hands on the knobs and turned them, allowing the doors to be opened. They didn't creak as they revealed the way inside, as if they had never been forgotten in the dust. It was cold inside, death's unforgiving hand still clutching the covered furniture. Riddel respectfully let her feet carry her to a king-sized bed. She sat on it for a moment before letting her body fall backward to look at the ceiling. It was simply too much, the memories had intoxicated her.

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Inside the lively halls of Viper manor a little girl with long black hair was running with a book in her hands. She had to hurry, but certainly not in fear. She stopped in front of a couch, still panting but a wide smile on her lips. The woman on the couch warmly smiled back to her. She was wearing a long silver dress and her long black hair was dressed in an elegant manner to support her diadem. Her face radiated warmth and love and brought to the room as much light as the many torches that hung from the walls.

"So dear, have you picked one?" She asked, gesturing for the girl to come sit next to her.

"Yes." The child answered, quickly taking a seat next to her mother and handing her the book.

The woman laughed heartily upon reading the title.

"Sweetie, I've read you that one four times. Are you sure you want this one again?"

"Yes, I love that one." The girl replied, looking at her mom, eager to hear her favourite story coming alive through her mother's voice.

"Alright then, here we go." The woman opened the book as her daughter hugged her with her little arms that couldn't totally encircle her mother's waist. The black-haired woman passed her arm around her daughter and began reading.

"…And so The great Toma waved his friends good-bye and prepared to set sail toward a new world filled with excitement and adventures…"

Taking a look at her daughter the woman realized that her daughter had fallen asleep. She slowly removed her arm from her shoulder, careful not to wake her up. Then a large, tall man approached them. He stood a good two feet taller than the woman and was clad all in black leather. His brown hair and beard was not yet turning to grey. The woman got up to stand next to him so they could both get a look at the girl. His face illuminated with a smile the man delicately picked the child from the couch and laid her small head against his massive shoulder. Both adults walked to the stairs that led to the upper-most floor.

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There was no way she could forget but now it almost appeared as if most of the people living in Viper manor were denying that these days had existed. They had been taking away so fast, so brutally, so cruelly, separating the very emblem of happiness.

Riddel's eyes opened and the cold ceiling was staring back at her, providing her with nothing but a deathly hush. They all refused to talk about it anymore, trying to shut their mind to free themselves from the pain.

But the guards outside, with their faces as hard and uncompromising as stone, they were once alive, when their heart was not yet governed by the fear of pain. They were also bathing in the garden of life that this building once was. They were standing right by the door, not much for guarding the life of those ruling over the archipelago, but rather to share this life. Sometimes it almost seemed that they were also listening to the stories.

Riddel was now standing by the windows, staring at those grounds which were once her playground, when she didn't have a care in the world. Now they were patrolled by dragoons day and night. Green spotlights were meant to prevent intruders from discovering the secret the leader of El Nido was plotting. This whole place was nothing more than hypocrisy written everywhere. All were denying what was going on, but she knew what dreadful dream haunted their hearts. Of course the general would never let the details of his plan reach the ears of simple privates, but like poisonous fumes it had reached their minds and perverted them.

Then she saw him. One of the few people she hoped would always stay true to himself. But she had been wrong… again. Karsh had just walked through the massive metal gates and was interrogating the guards, his mind as greedy as her father's, desperate to access their dream of power. How could he? He was her friend, he had always understood, he could tell right from wrong, but sometimes when wrong is too obvious, offering too much, it intoxicated him and corrupted him too.

Karsh had suffered, just like she did, but he was a soldier, trained to never show any weakness, and more than ever he was determined to prove his valor. But it had once appeared so simple for him and any soldier to demonstrate their courage. No plotting, no secret, no greed, the simple will to live and protect the archipelago from the Porre. The strong and treacherous currents of the Zenan Strait had always protected them from Porre's fire. However, they had managed to sow the seed of evil in them, with but a simple ambassador.

If that day had never come maybe she would have been able to do something. Riddel knew her mother's warmth could have melted all this ice. If only it had never happened…

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They had gone for a walk in the valley. Just them, no guards, no dragoons, only them walking in the valley. Who would have objected to this back then? Fear was courage and the will to live. She was holding her mother's hand while they stepped on the soft soil. Birds were chirping and the sun tried as hard as it could to pierce through the natural ceiling formed by the foliage of the large trees that grew by the cliffs. Every now and then a strong gust of wind would engulf between the mountain ranges, resulting in an eerie howl. She would grasp her mother's leg in fear and she would gladly reassure her. After a while she had learned that this scary noise in fact posed no threat at all.

Her mother then kneeled in front of a wild flower pack. She took a moment to observe them and smiled at her daughter. Not sure of what to do the girl decided to imitate the grown-up, resulting in a hearty laughter from her mother.

"They're bellflowers, Riddel. Their scent is really sweet, isn't it?" The girl nodded in approval before letting her mother continue.

"You know, when I was your age I also enjoyed walking with my mother in the valley. We usually picked bellflowers from here and then plant them on the balcony so they could grow up in the sun."

The woman then proceeded to pick some flowers. Careful not to hurt the roots she placed them in a basket. The girl tried to imitate her mother but was a little clumsy. Noticing her troubles her mother came to her aid and she managed to get a couple of bellflowers in good condition.

"Are they gonna be happy on the balcony, mom?" The girl asked with concern for the vegetals.

"Why, of course, all flowers enjoy the sunlight. Here they don't get much, but high up on the balcony they'll get plenty."

Satisfied with her mother's explanation the girl smiled and got up.

"Wait, Riddel, I have something for you."

The woman produced a piece a tissue wrapped around a small object. She opened the soft envelope and revealed a bellflower-shaped gem. The girl looked at it in awe.

"My mother gave it to me. It's a symbol of the importance of caring for nature. Now I want you to have it." She carefully placed the gem behind her daughter's ear to it would stand in her hair and got up.

The girl extended her arm so her mother could grasp her small hand and they both headed back to the manor. Dry branches were breaking under their weight as well as a few leaves. Suddenly her mother let out a small gasp. She stopped abruptly and stared emptily forward. Her daughter looked up at her, puzzled by her mother's odd reaction.

The woman slowly inclined her head to look at the ground and saw a small yellow snake sticking its forked tongue at her and letting out threatening hissing sounds. The woman carefully put some distance between her daughter and the deadly reptile with her hand using her body as a shield.

"Quick! Run! Don't look back!"

"…But, mom…" The girl said, still not understanding what was going on.

"Now!"

The girl half-heartedly obeyed and traveled back home as fast as she could. She turned back one last time only to see her mother know struggling to stand on her knees and breathing with difficulty. At this very moment she panicked and ran with her eyes closed all the way back to the manor. Her eyes were filled with fearful tears but there she would get some answers, she would get some help.

The next day she was standing in front of a huge marble statue that resembled her mother with several other people. One of them was rather skinny and wore a long white vest. He was weakly grasping a short staff. On his left was a short but burly man with a thick brown beard. He missed an eye and had both hands placed on a massive maul that rested on the grass. Next to him was a very tall man with long white hair dressed in silver robes. Two large swords hung from his belt. The last of the row was a woman with blond hair tied in a single braid. She had both hands placed on a long spear. In front of them stood three boys of the girl's age. One had short purple hair and the other two had the same short blond hair. Those two siblings definitely looked alike. All of them shared one characteristic on this day, they all stared emptily at the ground.

Right next to the girl was her father whose enormous hand she was grasping with her small one. It seemed that his arm hung by his massive body only so she could hold onto it. The girl kept twisting her head left and right, but she simply couldn't find the one person who would provide her with an explanation as to the meaning of this grim gathering. She raised her head and looked at her father inquiringly but he wouldn't even look back at her. Desperate she looked back at the other individuals but none would utter a word.

_…Mommy, where are you…?_

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Why this silence? Why this hypocrisy around her? It had started several years ago and only escalated over the time. What exactly did Karsh's silence mean on that day. Riddel kept her eyes on her friend, still trying to read his mind for answers, but his icy features wouldn't let anyone through. Why wouldn't he speak? He was her friend but he wouldn't open himself to her. It had started on that very day.

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Karsh was facing her. He looked nervous and angry. Her father and that beast were standing behind him as if to support him. What could he possibly had to tell her that was so hard to let out he needed them to back him. The silence was killing her, she was anxiously waiting for him to talk but it seemed that the simple thought of those words was flooding his mind and body with an excruciating pain his face was struggling not to show. His lips were finally parting.

"Lady Riddel… I'm sorry… sir Dario… fell on the isle of the damned…" He let out a deep sigh and looked at the ground.

Riddel's mouth slightly opened as she fell to her knee. She looked up to see Karsh's hard features.

"…But why…? What happened…? We were supposed to…" Her voice was barely audible.

Karsh then slowly turned around to walk away followed by the demi-human who placed a hand on the deva's shoulder as if saying _you did the right thing, son_. Could he really be turning his back to her? Only her father remained, but he didn't even kneeled next to her nor offered his hand to help her back up. She only swallowed hard and forced herself back on her feet. Her father then escorted her back to the manor and didn't even pronounce a word during the trip from the port of Termina.

Once in her room she stopped right next to her bed and let her body fall on it, her face brutally landing against the mattress. She had spent the next three days locked in her room, barely eating and sleeping at all. But what could have going out changed? Outside they all refused to speak. Her fiancé was dead and it seemed that everyone regarded his death as the simple price to pay to achieve greatness. The only person willing to talk about Dario's departure was Glenn, but he couldn't provide with any real answers since he was swimming in the same sea of ignorance she was.

When she would finally leave her room the same gathering that had happened a couple years ago took place. They were all silent and refused to speak, but this time she knew where Dario was, only they refused to tell her why he had left her too.

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How could a single being spread so much anger and greed? He was the source of the deadly aura shrouding her life. He had plagued her life for too long. What she was going to do was absolutely inappropriate but it absolutely didn't matter now. Being ladylike or even staying alive had no importance, it was her only hope to regain some happiness in life. It was her only chance of breaking the seal of paranoia and silence.

She walked to a closed and pulled the doors open. Inside were a diadem placed on a shelf, a small pouch hanging from a peg and a long snake-shaped staff locked to the wood by two hooks. Riddel carefully grabbed the pouch and the staff and walked back to the bed. She poured the content of the tissue bag on the furniture: beads, several white glimmering beads. She placed the staff on her lap and proceeded to socket the beads one by one on the snake's body. She kept looking emptily at the wall through the whole process. It was very late and her body was tired, but it was no time for weakness. Her mind was focused on a single thought.

Once she was done she placed the staff on the bed and went back to the closet. She picked the diadem and placed it on her head where it fit perfectly. She recovered the staff and left the room. She knew where to find him.

She placed the staff's head into the matching socket on the wall and the massive stone structure slowly moved to reveal a secret opening. She stepped inside and saw him, his back turned to her, hands behind it as usual. Upon hearing the noise he lazily turned around.

"My, my, lady Riddel, you should be in bed right now, it is very late, you do not wish to have those nasty rings shade this beautiful face of yours, do you?" Riddel indeed looked very tired.

She rested the staff slightly behind her so her body would cast its shadow to conceal it. Slowly she raised her head and revealed the object.

"Very interesting relics you have there, family heirloom I presume." The demi-human lazily scratched his neck as he spoke.

"Yes, family heirloom." Riddel's voice was trembling.

"And to think that I was in this very vault all the time. You must have great thievery skills to snatch it right under my nose." The mockery only exacerbated Riddel's anger but she managed to contain it…for the moment.

"Then maybe you shouldn't stick your nose into other's treasures." Her face was now trembling too.

"Oh, I'm afraid you are very mistaken as to my intentions. I was only looking… with my eyes that is."

"Enough with your lies." She cut him off.

"I am here to see you leave this place."

The demi-human merely raised an eyebrow before answering.

"Actually, I was planning on leaving in the following days." He added, revealing sharp fangs.

"Now!"

"You wouldn't be threatening me, would you? That would be most unladylike." Lynx was obviously still mocking her.

"Plus, I have already explained that you simply cannot bring yourself to bring death on someone since you fear it yourself."

"Really? Then watch this."

Riddel clenched her teeth and brought the staff in front of her body, holding it with both hands. One of the beads lost its glow and Lynx was hit by a powerful jet of holy particles. He raised an arm to shield himself. Once the effect of the element had worn off the demi-human took a look at his limb only to realise his magically enhanced clothing had been burned to ashes as well as his fur.

"Could it be that I have succeeded in harming you that badly?" He asked to himself, expressing no remorse at all.

"You do not even know the extent of your own evilness." With that she gave the staff another squeeze and Lynx was hit by an even stronger stream of particles.

This time he raised both arms to protect his face. She was indeed aiming to kill. Both arms had been burned quite badly. The cloth was no more and the skin had been affected this time. His limbs were still fuming.

"The hallowed viper relics… They're as powerful as I heard." He managed to articulate through difficult breathing.

"She was the purest and strongest element user I ever knew and you'll pay for insulting and ruining her memory." Riddel's breathing had accelerated and she gave the staff one more squeeze.

A pentagram of pure light formed under the demi-human. He took a step back, realizing what was going on but it was too late for him to react. He was engulfed in light and writhed in pain. Once the light was gone he was kneeling, his whole body aching from the severe burns he had just sustained. Riddel had her eyes fixed on him, not sure what she was waiting for to finish him. Was she simply exhausted or could she still be afraid to die herself?

"Yes, I have managed to push you to the edge, but it is too late, now, I own this place, your life and soon this whole world will bow before me." He said in a low voice, grunting through the pain.

He lowered his gaze and his body turned to a mere shadow before disappearing. He had eluded her grasp. It was her last chance to save what was left and he was gone. No, she had to try one last time, she could still stop what was going on. Riddel lingered with the staff, reluctant to let it go, but she decided to let it rest among her family's treasures before leaving the vault.

She roamed the hallways until she came to a door bearing a silver snake and knocked on it. She had to wait before she could hear a voice coming from the other side.

"…Hmmm, qui peut venir at this hour?"

The jester opened the door to meet her guest with a yawn and considered her for moment dressed in nothing but a nightgown with her blond hair falling on her shoulders.

"Pleaze forgive my impolitesse but it iz a little tard for a pyjama party do not you believe?" Riddel only stared at her for a second before speaking.

"…Yes, I am aware, please forgive my visit so late in the night but I need to settle an important matter and I do not think it can wait for the morning."

Harle's lips formed a small circle as she wondered what could be on the other young woman's mind that was so important.

"Our guest, Lynx, you do know him personally, do you not?"

"Monsieur Lynx…? Oui, je pense, our relationship iz not exactly one of amitié, but… Je le connais better than most people…" It was obvious that the jester would rather conceal any information concerning the demi-human.

"Are you aware of his…schemes?"

The frown on Harle's face indicated that distrust had grown in her mind.

"I would understand if you would consider this request unacceptable but you are my last resort and I…"

"Look… je…"

"Please stop him before it is too late…I'm begging you…"

"…I see… Believe me, zhere iz not one person on ziz world who could wish to stop monsieur Lynx more than moi, but je ne peux pas. Sorry, dame Riddel…" Harle lowered her gaze, signalling appealing once more would be useless.

"…I see." Riddel softly grasped her staff with both hands as she prepared to leave.

Could this really have happened? Could the whole world have sided against her? Of course her mind had considered unleashing more destructive energy on the jester, but what would she have gained from it? She wasn't the one responsible for the poisoning of her world. Riddel sighed in the empty halls of Viper manor, the walls ever silent now spoke of threats of destruction, bearing the marks of the demi-human's rotting curse.

Hermit's hideaway, another world, 1020 A.D.

As Serge stepped foot on solid ground once more he was shocked to see that someone had came here before them and obviously enough their intentions toward the sole permanent resident of the island were clear: Turn him to ashes. The place was still smoking as the tenterhooks continued to emit the threat of another blaze. Most of the trees and plants, however, had been spared, only what had been a shack had been burned to the ground.

"Do you think Lynx did this?" Leena turned to Serge, fearing they would meet the demi-human again.

"No… ze correct answer iz I did it… under monsieur Lynx's order." Harle said, appearing out of this air and bowing before them.

"Oi, you again, jingle bells, yur really gettin' on my nerves, y'know." Kid blurted out as disgust tainted her thoughts and her hand went to her dagger.

Harle's lips pursed in disdain as she looked at the thief but formed a smile as her gaze went back to Serge while slowly floating to stand a few inches from him. She softly placed a hand on the teenager's cheek.

"Serge, pleaze, I do not want to harm you, mon Serge, oublie Lynx. It iz too dangereux, oui?"

But her smile was replaced by an expression of dismay as Serge's featureshardened, his cheek almost cold to the jester's touch.

"Why did you do this?" He whispered, anger in his voice.

"Oui, it iz awful, but ze geezer didn't want to cooperate and I had to protect you, mon Serge…"

"I certainly don't need your protection. I hope for your sake that he's still alive. Where is he?" Serge took a step back. Harle gave him a weak smile, not scared at all but hoping that the boy's anger would be soothed a little by her answer.

"Well, ze geezer waz a stubborn one. I couldn't catch him. He muzt be quelque part on ze island."

"Then, you'll have to excuse us." Said took a step forward to walk past her but stop abruptly as Harle quickly to stand between him and the path that led into the small forest.

Harle was beginning to feel a little helpless facing so much determination. She gave Serge a pleading look saying not a word.

"I need to see him. You will not stop me."

Guile, who had remained silent up to this point, felt that the tension had built up and got his wand ready for any eventuality.

"I see. I really did not want to hurt you, but I guess I cannot eviter cela, non?" Harle landed and took a deck of razor sharp cards from her outfit and got ready to shoot at whoever would advance toward the forest.

"So, not a minute ago you wished to protect me and now you're willing to fight me. Guess I'll never understand women." Serge sighed as he took several steps back to prepare himself for the upcoming battle. The corner of Harle's lips curled slightly in a smile though she found the moment rather inappropriate for such humor.

"You leave moi no choix, Serge. Besides, I couldn't let them harm you, non?"

All three of Serge's companions who had been considered Harle's request completely foolish up to now got her point as three demi-humans jumped from high branches.

_…Now that makes more sense… four against one…who did she think she was, a dragon…?_

Guile's thoughts had to be cut short as an enormous lion stood on two feet right before him. Standing at least nine feet tall and weighting around five hundred pounds by Guile's estimation this opponent was not to be taken lightly, at least by a normal human.

Getting ready for battle Guile raised both hands in front of himself as his wand came to float beside his left one. His opponent's jaw dropped at the sight as he roared with laughter.

"You call this a weapon? Now this is a weapon, Roddy." The demi-human pounded the ground with all his might causing a slight tremor.

Guile offered no reaction to his opponent's taunt, remaining still, ready to strike. Figuring he'd have no trouble crushing such a small enemy the lion charged forward at full speed, his maul raised to strike. However he was taken by surprise upon coming within striking distance as Guile dodged the brutal attack side-stepping in one swift move. Wasting no time the lion raised his maul once more only to have Guile move out of the way again. Still relying only on pure brute strength the demi-human threw mauled away at Guile but missing every time.

Anger was building within him with every chance he missed to crush his opponent to dust. After many failed attempts the lion took a break to breathe without taking his eyes off his adversary. Taking this opportunity Guile decided to launch his first attack and had his wand travel toward the demi-human, floating slowly and stopping a few feet short of the lion. The demi-human gave Guile a puzzled look as he regained his composure.

The rod then multiplied and in an instant the lion was surrounded by wands directed at him. He lowered his head slowly and the shock on Guile's face was noticeable as he spun around at lightning speed, knocking away all rods with his maul.

"Yeah, you see, I was told you could pull out that sort of trick…" He said, breathing heavily, revealing powerful fangs.

Guile wasn't sure how to react just then. Sure he hadn't used up his arsenal but few had managed to dodge that one so easily. He didn't have much time to ponder the matter as his opponent came charging at him, still using blows strong enough to pulverize a granite boulder but slow so that Guile was able to keep dodging.

"mwah, ha, ha, ants are so much funnier to step on when they run in fear everywhere around.

"You shouldn't underestimate ants. Haven't you heard, they can lift up to six times their bodyweight?" Guile replied, not showing a hint of fear. This behemoth was awfully strong but there was pretty much no chance he could ever land a blow.

"Really? Then that means you could probably lift one of my toe nails. Wow! I'm impressed!"

Guile lowered his gaze for a second, noticing the large claws that extended from the lion's feet. Beginning to feel the tiredness grow in his body Guile decided it was time to put an end to this, after all he couldn't keep dodging these blows endlessly. The magician grasped his rod firmly and a blue bead lost its glow. Huge icicles began forming on the lion's limbs, trapping them.

Letting out a low grunt the lion paused, realizing he couldn't move anymore. Guile smiled, eager to see what reaction he would be getting, betting it would probably be some sort of bestial but helpless roar. The roar came, bestial but not helpless as the crystals shattered under the tremendous strength of the lion's muscles. Guile was once more shocked by the display of one of his opponent's abilities. The beast had unholy strength.

The demi-human just stood there grinning and savouring the look on Guile's face.

"Here, why don't you try to actually lift one of my toe nails?" The demi-human mocked as he raised one his massive furry feet, bending his knee.

The lion then grasped the head piece of his maul one hand and the shaft with the other. Guile frowned, totally lost at what his opponent was trying to achieve. He couldn't possibly be using an element as there were none socketed in the weapon. He heard a clicking sound and the lion then began unscrewing the head.

"What the…?" A few seconds later the lion was left with a large staff.

"You see? Now we both have the same type of weapon… except mine's much bigger."

So that huge ape did have a brain after all. With this new weapon the blows would still be mighty enough to score some serious damage but the blows would be coming much faster and Guile was showing signs of having trouble keeping up with his opponent's speed. The trained demi-human's first three moves targeted Guile's head which he dodged by a few inches each time. Spinning on one foot the lion then took a vicious swipe at Guile's legs which he was barely able to dodge by jumping and bringing both knees to his chest.

Guile was still pretty much unscathed but one of his feet touching an uneven stone instead of the soft sand left him destabilized. As he took a moment to regain his balance the demi-human took the opportunity to ram his huge staff into Guile's stomach forcing him to bend in half under the pain, leaving him open for a brutal punch sending him flying several feet away. The lion was panting from the effort but this successful attempt at swatting the fly his opponent was brought new energy into his aching muscles.

The magician got to his feet as fast as he could and brought a hand to his face to check if something was broken.

_…I seem okay… How the hell did I survive that…? Maybe it's time I stop messing around, this one's pretty nasty…_

Guile wiped the trail of blood off his face with his sleeve and did something that left his opponent quite shocked. The magician seized his wand and simply threw it away.

"Well, I guess it's not the first time I strike an unarmed bitch." The lion roared as he charged at Guile and quickly forgot about the discarded weapon.

"Maybe you should check again." Guile managed to say as the lion came to an abrupt stop a few feet away from him.

The demi-human could hear a noise that sounded like a sharp object piercing through the air toward him at an incredible speed. He raised his eyes just in time to see a sword plunging into his huge skull, burying itself into his body, reaching his heart. He fell to his knees, coughed as blood gushed from his mouth and collapsed.

Guile carefully walked to his opponent's corpse to have the sword revert to his wand and float back to his hand, still shining and cleansed from all traces of blood.

"I guess those boozers in Termina were right… It's not the size of the tool that matters, it's what you do with it…" The magician whispered to himself, smiling weakly.

Kid's opponent was a tall and lanky demi-human whose scaly blue skin recalled that of a fish. He carried a small flail in each hand and even though he was moving outside of the water he appeared as agile as a cat.

_…Oi that cat-fish has the same strengths and weaknesses as I… No protection but nothing to slow him down…_

Kid was dancing around her opponent as both were analyzing the other, expecting him to make the first move. It was Kid who finally lunged forward first with a quick thrust to the stomach.

"Oi you might have two weapons but those things can't help you defend against anything, cat-fish."

"Why would I need those to protect myself?" The demi-human replied, side-stepping with amazing speed and swinging one of his flails at Kid who took a step back to avoid the spiked ball.

With this two beads socketed in the demi-human's left flail lost their glimmer. Kid's adversary was swallowed by yellow bubble followed by white bubble both of which soon disappeared but leaving the fish-man with an increased resistance against both elements and steel weapons.

"Don't make me laugh with your pathetic imaginary shields, you seriously think they're gonna keep me from sending yer sorry arse to the moons?"

"Hey, why don't you try your luck?" The demi-human taunted her as he opened his arms, leaving his body open.

Kid didn't need any more invitation and took two rapid slashes at the fish-man, both of which barely left a scratch on the demi-human whose skin was now as thick as that of an alligator. The girl's eyes went wide for a second, amazed at the strength of the element. This lapse of inattention on the part of Kid was more than enough for the fish-man to drive his long foot into Kid's stomach with a powerful front kick which sent the thief several steps back.

Kid was left clutching her stomach and breathing with difficulty from the hit to her solar plexus. She quickly regained her fighting stance and focused all her energy into one of the red beads socketed in her dagger. A melon-sized fireball materialized in front of her and flew right into her opponent who raised his arm in defence.

Kid winced upon seeing that fireball didn't do anymore harm that the two previous slashes she landed. Slowly lowering his arm the demi-human took two rapid steps forward and swung his right flail at Kid in a circular motion. She was able to dodge the blow quite easily but didn't expect the second flail to come at her so soon and she was left destabilized allowing the demi-human to leave a vicious wound on the girl's leg with a third attack.

Kid rapidly moved outside of the chained weapons' range so she could breathe for a second and take a look at the wound. It wasn't very deep but pretty large and blood was trailing down her leg.

"Oi, I gotta admit yur pretty tough for an oversized oyster." She said, gritting her teeth from the pain and re-gripping her dagger.

"Yeah, we're gonna see who'll end up in a frying pan, blondie."

The fish-man took a long stride forward a swung both flails forward at a time following by a fast diagonal swing from left to right and a second diagonal swing in the same direction but with the other flail. Kid, who was now starting to figure out the patterns of these weapons managed to get out the way of all blows while retaining her balance giving her an opportunity to strike.

Since attacking the skin would be useless the girl figured she would have to attack a part that wasn't covered in flesh and immediately went for the left eye, easily bursting the fluid-filled organ. The demi-human screeched in pain and seized Kid's arm with lightning speed, dropping one of the flails and throwing the girl several feet to the right with unexpected strength in arms that were almost as thin as a fishing rod. Kid's body landed hard on the sand but she was able to get back up within seconds to see her opponent still covering his injured eye, blood coming between long blue fingers.

"You…vicious fiend…" He grunted in pain.

"How dare you harm my beautiful eyes…You will pay…"

The demi-human grasped his remaining weapon firmly and a blue bead lost its glow, producing a rain of icicles all aimed at Kid who dove to the ground to avoid being impaled by the cold shards.

She barely had time to get up before the fish-man was on her again swinging his flail in frenzy. The moves were coming so fast Kid's option was to step further back with each swing without any opening for a retaliation.

Taking a look behind Kid saw she was coming toward a large tree and suddenly had an idea.

_…Oi, time to fry this fish for good…_

Once she was barely a feet from the tree Kid ducked under the demi-human's horizontal swing and then quickly sprung back up and kicked herself against the tree to perform a back-flip above the fish-man's head who swung his flail trying to swat her like a fly but missing by an inch. Upon landing Kid took several steps back to put some distance between her and the demi-human.

She focused her energy into her dagger and another red bead lost its glow. Totally confident in his shield the demi-human didn't even try to stop her from using the element and only stood there waiting for the element to be used before launching another series of furious blows.

A massive molten boulder formed in front of the girl, heating up the air around her. Kid forcefully extended her arm, forcing the element's energy toward her opponent at a great speed. Remaining perfectly still until the boulder was only a few feet from him the fish-man quickly bent his long legs and easily jumped over the boulder so it would crash against the tree.

"Don't tell me that's all you can do. You sure aim like a girl…" The demi-human had remained dangerously calm all the while, visibly focusing solely on his next attack.

"Oi, you sure tuna-dude? Maybe you should check again."

A loud creaking noise was heard and the fish-man's head began moving frantically to locate the source of the worrying noise. His remaining eye quickly spotted a growing shadow at his feet and he immediately looked to the sky in search of a dark cloud but the only cloud he saw was a large, green and leafy one. He spun on his feet only to meet his doom as the enormous trunk crushed all of the demi-human's bones.

Having watched her opponent being crushed to dust Kid slowly walked to the tree and spotted a lanky blue arm emerging from under the trunk, motionless. Chances were no one could ever get the body from under the wooden monster.

_…Anyway there wasn't enough meat on that one to get something from frying it…_

Noticing the weapon lying on the ground next to the hand Kid picked it up and saw a few remaining beads still glimmering in the sunlight. She examined them and noticed one of them was brighter than any she had seen.

_…Photon beam, cure ,ice lance, aqua ball…Oi, I wonder what's that, I don't recall ever seeing one so bright…_

Using her dagger Kid proceeded to extract the bead from the flail and took it between her thumb and index to observe it more closely under the sun light. It was much brighter than the elements in her dagger.

_…Oi, this one must be bloody powerful, better keep it safely…_

She proceeded to remove one of her gloves, revealing a leather bracelet socketed with the elements her small dagger didn't allow her to have at the ready and placed it in a remaining empty hole.

Standing a few feet from Leena was a female demi-human whose scale-covered skin was a bright pink. She wore ninja-style baggy pants that allowed a lot of movement freedom and a matching sleeveless top. Surprisingly enough her head was covered with short silky silver hair. She slowly unsheated two short swords and was followed by Leena who raised her frypan.

"I…Is that a frying pan? You cannot be serious dear." The demi-human's mouth fell to the ground.

"Yes, it is, and you would only be one of the fish I've fried on it." Came Leena's answer, her eyes narrowing in defiance.

A pan was certainly not a real weapon in the demi-human's mind but Leena's comment had set her on fire. She charged at the redhead taking a quick swing with both swords, one after the other but both were deflected by Leena's cooking tool. She then paused for a split second, surprised that someone would block those swings with a simple pan. The next moves were as fast as the first two, the blades slashing through the air only to meet cast iron.

After five unsuccessful attempts the demi-human stopped for a moment to re-analyze her opponent.

"…I have to admit, girl, you know how to use a frying pan…in a kitchen…"

"Then let's get cooking." Leena replied, focusing energy into her leather bracelet, ridding a blue bead of its glow.

Seven sharp icicles flew at the fish woman who simply dodged all of them with unmatched agility and elegance.

"Hey, catfish, think you can move, dodge this one if you can."

Another bead lost its glow and a powerful water stream gushed from Leena's hand toward her opponent. The demi-human side-flipped several timed to get out of range. Just when the jet seemed to have worn out the demi-human looked up only to realize Leena's element hadn't released all of its energy. She was blasted a few feet back a landed on her back but didn't waste a second in regaining her fighting stance.

"Not back, house maid, now admire a real blue innate at work."

A bead from the demi-human's left bracelet became dark and Leena's suddenly felt extremely cold as her body was engulfed in a huge ice block. Imprisoned in the shard, her body's temperature was dropping fast and her skin was turning red, burned by the cold. When the element finally released her she was shaking, barely managing to stand on her knees but refusing to admit defeat.

Leena clenched her fist and was covered in blue light, her body quickly recovering from the wounds and allowing her to stand again, ready to strike.

"I hope you haven't used up all of your precious recipes yet, otherwise I'll be leaving the table starving, dear."

"Don't worry, I haven't even lit the fire yet."

Now convinced that her opponent was a blue innate just like her Leena looked at her right bracelet from which several red beads glimmered. She clenched the matching fist and a volley of fireballs was hurled at the demi-human. The flames were traveling fast but the fish-woman remained very calm, her body remaining still until the last second when she jumped and spun though the air so her body would reach parallel with the ground, allowing her to slip in-between the fireballs, dodging them all with one move.

Bewildered by her opponent's agility Leena lost focus for a second, which was plenty for the demi-human to release one of her swords in an arc, the blade aimed at Leena's chest. Coming to her senses a split second before the impact Leena bent to the right but felt a sharp sting in her left arm as the blade left a deep gash in her frail limb. She grasped her arm and released it to stare at her blood-covered hand.

The demi-human offered her a vicious smile, revealing a sharp row of teeth. Now left with a single bladed-weapon, she transferred it to her right hand, revealing to Leena she was a right-handed. They were now even and Leena could risk attacking her opponent hand-to-hand. She charged at the demi-human and raised her pan.

For a moment she looked at her bracelet and was tempted but decided against using her trump card. A shield would have gotten rid of it too easily, leaving Leena with only weak elements. First she needed to weaken her adversary. Her first swing wasn't aimed at the head or at any vital part, but rather at an unsuspected place.

The vertical arc came toward the demi-human's wrist in an attempt to knock the sword off her hand. But much to Leena's dismay she responded with lightning speed, removing her hand from the pan's trajectory and placing a strong kick in Leena's ribs. Leena certainly felt the pain but regained her stance only to meet her opponent's foot once more. This time her left temple was the target and she was forced several feet back, barely managing to remain standing.

Her head was spinning and she was struggling not to collapse. Leena gritted her teeth and focused hard. She had to get rid of the sword somehow. Another bead lost its glow and a ball of near-frozen water shot through the hot air of the island. Her thunder reflexes indicating the attack wouldn't reach her body, the demi-human remained still but was taken by surprise when she realized Leena wasn't targeting her body, not even one of her limbs.

The demi-human's right shoulder slumped down under the weight of her sword that had turned into a large chunk of ice, now useless as a weapon. A fire element could have easily melted the ice but would have overheated the blade to a point where she wouldn't be able to grasp it without sustaining severe burns.

"You little bitch…" She said, coldly staring at Leena and discarding the weapon.

"I'm gonna bring you down no matter those dirty little tricks of yours." She added, running to Leena.

Quickly responding, Leena's fist clenched and released the energy of another element, producing several ice shards and launching them at her opponent. Taking notice of the attack the fish-woman narrowed her eyes but didn't slow down one bit. She simply jumped in the air and brought her left high up in an arc, reducing all the shards to puddles of water on the water with one furious kick. Reaching Leena within seconds she knocked the pan from the teenager's hand with another kick and forced Leena backwards with a forceful mule kick at the stomach.

Now very much used to fighting slow heavily-armored foes using elements Leena was left rather helpless facing an opponent that moved as fast as a lightning, leaving her no opportunity to use strong elements and simply wiping away the weaker ones with her bare limbs. She needed a good strategy, fast. Leena forced the energy out of another element and the reaction on her opponent's face was a triumphant smile when the fish-woman realized nothing had happened.

She rushed at Leena once more but quickly recoiled when she felt her skin being burned by an invisible force. Grasping her arm and looking where the pain had came from she saw a small fire burning on the sand, all by itself.

"Fire traps, uh, that's wise but do you seriously think this would stop me?"

Taking a break to breathe the demi-human squeezed her fist and a protective sphere formed around her, granted her protection against elements. She then hurled her body at Leena one more time, her presence triggering all of Leena's traps which all shot fireballs blocked by the elemental shield, weakening the barrier with every successful hit.

Meanwhile Leena struggled to avoid the frenzy blows from the fish-woman while the traps were revealed as they were triggered. The shield was fading but the demi-human failed to realize the process, too busy trying to swat Leena like a bug.

The traps had all been triggered and the shield had melted. Both women were panting from the fatigue and staring at the other. Both were now disarmed except for their elements. There was no yellow element left on the demi-human's bracelet, no potential shield.

"Time to fry the fish." Leena said weakly. She met a puzzled look on her opponent's face.

The last element from Leena's right bracelet turned to black and the demi-human suddenly felt her feet sink into the ground. Her first thought was a quicksand but it was a red bead. She then felt an excruciating pain from her lower body as she realized she was sinking in a pool of magma. Her shield now out of the commission she knew the end had come for her. The body sunk in a scream of agony and the ground returned to sand once all of the element's energy had been released, the demi-human forever gone.

Leena fell to her knees, completely exhausted and unable to believe what she had just done. A few days ago she was just an average country girl and now she was killing living beings by drowning them in lava lakes. She vomited at the scent of death and disgust spreading into her young body. She was left panting and felt a hand on her shoulder. Guile was observing her with a concerned look on his face.

"Uh, you gonna be okay?"

"…Yeah, I-I think so." But obviously she would need a bit of time to recover.

Struck by the expression of fear and despair on Leena's face Guile was suddenly transported back in time to face a young boy who had faced this before.

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"Now, boy, you aren't going to cry, are you? Because only girls cry." The green creature taunted him.

"But, but, I'm scared. What's going on? Why did you bring me here?" The blue-haired boy was lightly trembling.

"Don't worry, it is just a little test." The green creature pinched his thumb and index together.

"But, why are you taking Alf, give me my cat back, you, you fat slug." The boy wiped his tears with outside of his forearm, sadness turning into anger.

"Oh, with an attitude like that, you are sure to succeed, boy. However, you don't have to worry for Alf, I'm just taking your precious kitty with me, just so he doesn't get hurt." The green creature smiled evilly, cradling the kitten in one fat hand.

The boy and the mystic stared at each other in silence for a moment. Admitting defeat, the boy looked away and the creature continued.

"Excellent! Now, listen to me, you lazy slobs! Attack! Show no mercy at all!" The mystic yelled at the four heavily-armored henchmen standing behind the boy.

Hearing their leader's call the henchmen raised their maces to the sky before charging at the boy, letting out fearsome warcries.

The boy shut his small eyes and raised his arms in defence. Convinced they would make short work of this vermin the henchmen wasted no second in planning a strategy, not that would have been able to do so anyway. Now within striking distance the henchmen all swung their weapons backwards before bringing them down for a quick kill.

None of them knew what hit them when several huge fireballs shot from the boy's arms and blazed toward them, turning their flesh into ashes. When the roaring stopped the boy carefully lowered his arms to take a look around. The four bodies were now lying crippled before him. They were barely alive and kept emitting muffled groans of agony as their flesh continued to burn.

The foul stench of death and charred skin had filled the air and was making the boy nauseous. Falling to his knees the young one vomited on the ground and got on all four, recovering with difficulty.

Watching in awe was the mystic who took no interest in checking to see if his protégé was alright. Caressing the kitten's golden fur with lust for blood he admired the boy's doing with growing pride and ambition.

"Don't worry, kid, you'll be a wonderful killing machine while I keep you in leading-strings so you won't have to realize how the ground turns into a blood pool in your hands …I'm such a caring master sometimes…" The mystic muttered to himself, satisfied with his plan.

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A tall man was sitting on a throne in a dark room. The blue light of the few magically imbued candles reflected on the white mask that covered his face. His eyes were closed and his body was totally relaxed, almost as if he was asleep, but his mind was racing like it had never done before. Resting against the armrest was a massive scythe, sharp blade topped by a human skull on which runes had been carved to enhance the wielder's abilities with elements.

Behind the throne stood a humungous golden statue representing the prime evil Mephisto, lord of hatred and only idol of the man forcing his mind to become stronger so it could support to wield more anger. The walls made of black stone were ever so silent and the man's breathing could be heard.

Footsteps then broke the anxiety-filled silence. A fat green creature whose skin was as slimy as that of a slug carefully approached the throne. Clearly this being wasn't human at all and yet it was dressed in robes that would have made that of a king look pale. The mystic general waited nervously for the man sitting on the throne to address him.

"Ozzy…Why are you disturbing me? Can't you see I need to meditate?" The man's words were crude but he remained very calm, barely raising his head at all.

"My lord, I, I have some bad news and some good news." The green being grimaced in fear, already anticipating his superior's reaction.

"Then why don't you just begin with the good news?" The man's weapon was well contained within an obscure part of his twisted mind.

"I, of course, my lord. Well, our troops have taken the bridge but they've encountered some resistance and weren't able to penetrate the Guardia continent."

The masked man stared in silence at his general for a moment and proceeded to get up. The green creature dreaded the man's hand would slip and reach for the deadly scythe, but the man slowly traveled to the large door.

"Well, then, if I really have to do everything myself." The man said, walking past the mystic.

The green mystic observed his master leave the room and was soon joined by another man with long limbs and with deep blue skin. The second mystic wore a long sword by his belt and dark baggy clothes that wouldn't restrain him when swinging the sharp blade that made his name.

"Ozzy, you big, fat pile of stupidity. Look what happened because of your irresponsibility. I told you we should have killed him when we had a chance… He's the devil." The green general scratched his chin and smiled wildly, revealing sharp yellow teeth.

"My dear slash, First, he is clearly more evil than the devil, and second I will say…"

"Now you shut up, green slime, look what you did. Now _we _are the pawns in _his _hands." The blue mystic furiously seized the other by the collar to pull him to his face.

Ozzy calmly removed the other general's hand from his precious garment and took his time to smooth it before answering.

"Ah, but of course you were never able to tell the difference between strength and power. You see, sitting on the highest chair doesn't mean having the highest rank."

The blue general offered a puzzled look to his green counterpart.

"He is indeed very strong, but let's look at it this way. What is our goal, Slash?"

"…To eliminate those filthy humans, but what's with that ridiculous question?"

"Let me finish, will you? What is our precious _leader_ doing at the moment?"

"Uh, eliminating humans on the battlefield."

"And what are _we_ doing?"

"I'd say, pretty much sitting on our asses."

"Then who do you think is the pawn and who is the king?"

The blue mystic's mouth fell in awe. For so long he had considered his counterpart a fat idiot who would lead them to failure and now he had just demonstrated he had somehow made it so that it was the great Magus who was doing their dirty work.

Ozzy patted the other general on the shoulder before clasping hands in his back and leaving with a satisfied smile on his large lips.

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_I guess that mask was never really meant to conceal my identity but rather my rage…For so long I thought I was getting closer but I was only getting angrier and more destructive…_

"Pleaze Serge, ziz iz mon dernier avertissement, turn back maintenant." Both stared at each other for a moment and Serge shook his head silently.

"Well, zhen…" Harle inserted a hand in her pocket, took out a deck of throwing cards and proceeded to form a fan with it.

A whole deck of fifty-two cards all marked with a skull wearing a coxcomb on both sides which she used to partly cover her face. Harle slowly brought her other hand up to pick two cards and launched them as fast and viciously as a scorpion. Serge didn't even had a chance to flinch before he felt the weapons cut two injuries in his right arm.

He gritted his teeth and raised his swallow in defence. Chances are that he wouldn't be able to block many projectiles with it but the upper blade would at least cover his face. Harle then fired two sets of two cards. Two struck his left leg and the other two left a gash in his left arm. None of the injuries were really serious but they stung like a swarm of burning needles. The distance separating them being too great Serge would probably be torn to pieces if he attempted to run up to Harle, meaning elements would be his only ally here.

Serge focused on his weapon and a blue bead lost its glow. A massive ice shard was hurled at Harle who calmly raised a hand in defence. A large fireball met with the icicle, turning it into a puddle of water which quickly dried up in the sand. Serge was forced to acknowledge she was quite skilled with elements but he was certainly not going to give up.

Serege focused once more and this time a green bead lost its glow. A wall of brambles formed around Harle but it was soon burned down to ashes as a wave of flame radiated from Harle. The teenager raised his weapon as the wave hit him. Luckily the wave had weakened with the distance but the exposed parts of his skin suffered minor burns.

Serge was getting angry. He was not going to be stopped by a buffoon. He focused once more and this time a powerful water beam was aimed at Harle. The jester then raised both hands and was engulfed in a yellow bubble which deflected the beam.

"Wait… damn, a shield… but what about her other hand…"

A lightning pierced the air and, speeding through the water beam, hit Serge with increased might, violently shaking the teenager's body. His body still fuming Serge was left panting on his knees. He raised his head and saw Harle standing there without a trace of fatigue nor injury.

"Mon Serge, you have zuch determination. Je t'admire for zis, but, pleaze, go back maintenant, oui?"

Serge gritted his teeth and his features hardened, signalling he wasn't giving up. Harle shook her head in exasperation and hurled three more cards which all hit home, landing three cuts in Serge's right forearm. Pain was shooting from everywhere but those injuries weren't serious. Harle wasn't aiming to kill but only to discourage him from going further.

Elements were useless as Harle was much more skilled with them than he was. If he stood there he would be turned into a piece of Swiss cheese. If he tried to charge her she would simply run around while firing at him. Somehow he had to reach her. Lost in his thoughts his body had relaxed, his swallow was lowered and his left unprotected. Harle quickly seized the opportunity and aimed to more cards that struck a cut in each cheek, forcing Serge to jerk his head back in pain.

Blinded by the sunlight he immediately recoiled and shut his eyes to shield them. Serge rapidly raised his swallow again only to sustain to more cuts in his right calf.

"Alright…" he muttered

"Black innate, right..? Let's see how you like the sun's focused energy…"

Serge adjusted his swallow so it would reflect the sun rays right at Harle. Like a vampire Harle turned her head and screeched as she covered her eyes in pain. Serge didn't lose a second and ran as fast as he could. Hearing the rapid footsteps Harle managed to open one of her eyes through severe pain and shot two cards which missed the target, her vision still blurry from the light burns the sun had left in her retinas.

Serge was easily able to land a clean cut in the jester's right arm followed with one on her left shoulder. Harle had recovered from Serge's trick and quickly backed off to be out of range of the swallow.

"So you would lower yourself to zis…? You disappoint moi, Serge…" Harle shook her head as she scolded him but her visage held no trace of real anger.

"Really? Well, look who's talking? The same jester who sneaked up behind my back to wreck havoc here." Serge quickly stepped forward so she wouldn't be able to get away.

"Oui, but it waz to protect you, mon Serge."

"You know, there's an advantage with having friends like you, I sure as hell don't need foes."

Harle shook her head once more, backing away with every attack of Serge as she was unable to hurl any cards from such a short distance.

"You don't realize, mon Serge, ze one you're facing iz trop fort… Turn back, pleaze… Don't die."

"Who the fuck do you think you are to tell me what to do, you damn buffoon?"

"Moi, a buffoon? How nasty." Behind her make-up Harle's face turned red with anger.

Harle pointed a finger at Serge and he was drove into the ground by a very strong gravity element. Serge hardened his features and used all of his might to grasp a handful of sand and threw it tight at Harle's eyes, allowing him to escape the black element and get within striking distance again.

Just as Harle had managed to clear her eyes Serge's weapon traced a deep cut in the jester's frail left arm. Harle grasped her injured limb and backed off further only to have Serge advance on her again. She reached for her pocket and aimed to more cards at the boy. The sharp metal rectangles left two cuts in the forearm of a Serge who was so infuriated he barely felt anything at all.

Serge took a determined step a raised his weapon in an arc to land a cut in Harle's side and then brought the weapon close to his body for a stab at Harle's stomach. The weapon pieced through clothes and flesh and left Harle panting and moaning in pain with Serge standing inches from her still grasping his weapon firmly.

His high having burned out Serge was beginning to feel pain and fatigue again. He was also panting staring straight at Harle's face.

The jester brought a tired hand to her stomach to cover the large blood stain on her flashy clothes and gave Serge a weak but sincere smile. Serge failed to understand her message and offered her but a puzzled expression through difficult breathing.

"Don't worry, Serge, Je…je comprends… Szo much anger in you… Je vais te laisser partir… but still I will not fail to protect…

With this Harle's figure melted in the air leaving Serge holding his swallow aimed at nothing in particular.

"Again…" He muttered.

Serge let himself sink to his knees, the threat finally gone. His body was aching from the many cuts he had sustained from Harle's sharp cards and his muscles would need to relax for a moment before they could carry him any further.

The teenager looked up to see Guile letting out a groan while sitting to face him. It seemed that he wasn't the only one this battle had worned out.

"I suggest we-we rest here for a moment before going out after this hermit."

"Hear." Was Serge's simple answer.

The two young women came to sit close by, all four comparing scars in silence.

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After several minutes of lying down on the sand, Serge opened his eyes to the sky to get an idea of the time of the day. It was already late and they had to get moving if they hoped to get to Lynx before he got his claws on them.

Serge forced himself up, signalling to the others the break was over and they had to get walking again even if their bodies were still arguing they needed additional rest for optimal recovery.

Guile used weak healing elements on each of them to soothe the pain, too exhausted to use more advanced elements.

Serge took a few minutes to gaze at the small forest that grew before him. True it was rather small but it was rather dense. Luckily there was a path leading into the trees, indicating that someone was used to walking through the vegetation.

It appeared that Harle had agreed to leave him alone, at least for now. Serge moved slowly toward the forest. He kept turning his head left and right so he would be warned of any threat. Here he could notice trees that didn't grow on the main island. Guile seemed particularly interested in one whose shape was rather uncommon. Its trunk grew tall and strong but its leaf-covered branches lazily fell toward the ground.

"Such a long time since I've last seen one of these willows…" He muttered, lightly stroking the bark.

"Don't you find this odd?" Leena said, turning to Kid.

"Oi, yeah, gotta admit there's a whole bunch of plants I've never seen before." She said nonchalantly.

"Uh, actually I was referring to those two's behaviour."

"Waddaya mean?"

"It seems as if they had exchanged roles. Somehow Guile is acting a bit lost and simply following, not sure where he's being led and now Serge is walking ahead of us, taking the lead, eyes all around his head to make sure nothing bad happens." Leena giggled along.

Kid took a moment to observe both guys and could only agree with Leena.

"Hey, magiboy, already tired of baby-sitting us?" She yelled, turning to the loafing magician.

"I've just given up on you, that's different." He offered, without much enthusiasm.

"Geez, this island sure has a weird effect on those two. Maybe he was disappointed not to find any hot female islanders who've never heard of clothes before." She said, shrugging.

Serge was indeed doing everything he could to shield his friends from any hazard but he failed in protecting himself when to skinny arms came from bushes and passed a staff above his head to come down to his neck and choke him forcefully.

"Who are you and what do you seek here?" An old but strong voice asked.

The other three gave a start as their friend become hostage. Guile soon regretted allowing Serge to take the lead for a moment. Letting himself be convinced that the island was safe he had decided it would help the teenager build confidence but he had just been proved wrong. He wasn't ready yet. He grasped his wand and rushed to the two girls but didn't dare to try anything.

"arrgll… Serge… looking for… Radius." Serge managed to say, struggling to breathe.

"And what do want with Radius." The voice asked, refusing to lower the pressure on Serge's throat.

"…I'm after…Lynx…" Serge tried to get a look on his assailant but the man was keeping him pinned against his body which was still covered by the bushes.

"Lynx! You're a fool young man. Only a fool would be after the devil." The voice mercilessly scolded.

"It's more… him… who is…after me…" Serge continued to struggle to break free but the man refused to let him go and though he gave the impression having walked this world for way longer than any of the four he appeared to have no difficulty to keep Serge under complete control.

"Well, then, the bad news is… having the devil hot on your heels was never good news, now the good news is that you've found the one you were looking for." Serge was instantly released as the exact replica of his village chief stepped out of the bushes, his trusty staff hanging next to his leg.

"Radius…" He gasped, rubbing his neck with both hands.

"Have we…met before?" The old man asked, raising a lone brow, unable to explain the teenager's reaction upon seeing him.

"I… it's a long story." Serge said, now standing fully erect.

"Well, then I'd rather hear it sipping a good cup of tea." The man turned around to lead them further into the forest."

All four obeyed without question but Guile, still feeling remorse, swore to keep a close eye on the old man and the other on Serge.

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"…So, in your world I am a village chief, chief of Arni that is…?" He mused out loud, rubbing his chin between his thumb and index, feeling some pride at the idea.

Quickly snapping out his reverie the old man turned back to Serge only to gaze straight in the boy's eyes, almost expecting him to create an ending chapter to his unrealistic tale. Serge was taken aback by the request and turned his head to his comrades, desperate to get help from those who had remained silent ever since they had entered the ex-deva's hideout.

"Oi, so geezer, ya're gonna help us get to whiskers or not?" Kid snapped, rash as always.

Radius couldn't help but be shocked by the statement but gave no sign of annoyance as he walked over to Kid.

"You know, young lady, not so long ago we used to pay more respect both to the devil and to one's elders."

"Oi, yeah, when Guardia was still a three-hut village…" Kid bitterly muttered, looking to the side and down.

Radius paid scant attention to Kid's pathetic excuse of an apology and went back to Serge and considered him once more. Serge felt rather uneasy under the old man's penetrating gaze.

"Well, young man, facing the devil is no small task and you'll likely need all the help you can get, so I'll lend you mine. First of all, I do not know what exactly he seeks and even less why he would be after you. You see, after I left the army I became a hermit and established myself on this remote island so I could keep an eye on a few people that were dear to my heart from afar."

"Oi, I understand, no one to tell the story of your venerable life for so long and all…" Kid sarcastically muttered to herself.

Radius paused and gave Kid a look meaning her comments weren't welcome.

"As I was saying, there was a reason for me not to spend the rest of my life enjoying the sun of the beach. By the time I retired, Lynx had already traveled to El Nido. He approached the general as an ambassador from Porre with the mission to retrieve a long lost heirloom, some sort of legendary weapon. Feeling a conflict with a nation whose military power was rapidly increasing wasn't an option the general was quick to show some respect to our guest and even offered him help in his quest."

"So he came from Porre?" Serge asked, trying to gather as much information on his enemy as he could.

"Actually I really do not believe he was born there but rather in hell, however I doubt his birthplace is significant." Radius gave Serge a sarcastic look.

"What is most relevant is the day is offered the general to help him vanquish Porre so El Nido would become the next world power. One who betrays his homeland can never be trusted if you ask me."

"And Viper…trusted him?"

"Well, he didn't exactly trust him whole-heartedly you know. Lynx is the devil and he can almost put you under his control simply by gazing at you, and there was also the general's situation. Porre's threat was putting his authority in jeopardy and several internal conflicts were growing among the army… but that's not the point."

"I see… but how could El Nido ever vanquish Porre? I mean not even Guardia was able to withstand their firepower. I…those guns are pretty nasty you know…"

"You've actually seen those weapons that breathe fire?" Radius asked incredulously.

"Yeah, you see, in my world, Porre vanquished the acacia army a couple of years ago and everybody sees officers from there with guns restricting some accesses on the main island. Just before I left two of them were blocking the path that lead into fossil valley."

Radius' brows raised as he nodded silently.

"So Lynx wasn't of much help, was it?"

"Actually I don't think there was ever any help from Lynx. I've never even heard of him before I came here. To tell you the truth, in my world, the general, the devas and the whole acacia army mysteriously disappeared a few years back. They went on some sort of secret expedition and they never returned. We were left totally unprotected and Porre had no difficulty taking control of the archipelago. Only small groups of rebels still dare face them. I guess the people are just getting used to being oppressed." Serge's sigh clearly indicated he couldn't stand being prisoner in his home.

Radius was silent for a moment before answering.

"I know how you feel, I was once a soldier. I've seen war and I've seen oppression. I was on the zenan continent when Guardia fell. I've felt powerless too. But the interesting part is the disappearing of the army. Have you no idea what could've happened to them?"

"Well, of course there were a lot of rumors and gossip. Most stories spoke of them going to a place called medina to form a new alliance with descendants of strong mages to overthrow Porre or to the dead sea, but then I really don't know what would they be seeking there, in fact I pretty much know nothing about that place. Do you know something about the dead sea?"

"The dead sea, uh? Sorry, boy, this name doesn't ring a bell." Radius shook his head as he made his statement.

"I think people used to call it the sea of Eden but then something happened, I don't know what it was, but everybody started calling it the dead sea, sorta gruesome."

"Well I do know of a place called the sea of Eden. It's located south east of here, right along the great border of coral that encloses the archipelago."

"And what's in that place?" Serge cut Radius off.

"The impatient type, uh? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I do not have the slightest idea of what might be lurking there. This place is surrounded by deadly corals so far not found anywhere else in this world. No entrance has ever been found. I guess only birds know, and even then I'm not sure they'd venture to this place. I guess mortals will always be denied access to the garden of the gods and their treasure the frozen flame."

"The frozen flame? That's only a legend, isn't it?"

"So far, yes, the flame has remained a legend, but all legends are based on facts, you know."

"It's not a legend." All gave Kid an incredulous look, surprised by her sudden interest in the conversation.

"How do you know?" Serge asked.

"I know, that's all." Kid snapped. Not sure if he wanted to experience Kid's kick to the shin again, Serge decided it would be better not to question her any further.

"Uh, now let's get back to the subject in hands. I first said your story about the general's disappearance was interesting because he is also about to depart in this world too, with the devas, the acacia army and… Lynx."

"Lynx? Where are they going?"

"To fort Dragonia it appears."

"The fort? But there are only ruins there. Why would they be going to that old castle?"

"Actually, this fortress is more than just a fortress and it seems Lynx is convinced there's a very important treasure there."

"The frozen flame?" Radius only shrugged.

"The point is that Lynx is going there for a reason and you have to discover why, it might have a connection with your drawing to this world and the demi-human's interest in you. In other words you must go to fort Dragonia too."

"To fort Dragonia? But that's impossible, it's beyond…beyond mount Pyre, that place is a furnace. Heck, there are active volcanoes around there. And the whole acacia army will be there too, I can't get rid of them all." Serge raised his arms in despair.

"True, but if they can make it, so can you. You will probably call me crazy but there's someone who can help you, and that someone is the water dragon."

"I think I'll by doing as you say." Radius chuckled at Serge's statement.

"Son, there is more to this place than what your eyes can see and your ears can hear. The archipelago isn't called the place where the dragons rest for no reason. The legend speaks of them as the silent protector of El Nido. If one born on these islands seeks their help, they will answer."

Serge stared at the ground rubbing the back of his head and sighed, not sure if he should believe Radius's story, but then again what other option did he have?

"Well, this concludes our conversation. You now know everything I know, besides I've got to get to work if I hope to have this place repaired."

Serge and his friends all got up and prepared to leave with Radius watching them, but as the last guest was about to leave, Radius got a hold of his arm and kept him from leaving until the three teenagers weren't within earshot.

"It appears the conversation isn't over, old man"

"Speak for yourself, traveler. That pendant you're wearing is no ordinary charm, is it?" Radius poked at Guile's pendant with his staff.

"It is indeed no ordinary charm…"

"Look I do not have much knowledge about the civilization that forged those, but it is rumoured that the ones who wear them are highly skilled with elements. I sense that your aura is very strong but you do not appear to emanate any malevolence, so I will not interfere with your going with the boy. In fact, I'll rather ask a favour from you. Do keep an eye on him, after all, he is just a boy, a boy who will soon come face to face with the devil."

"That I will do." Radius let go of Guile's arm and he also went outside to meet with the others.

"Oi, I knew it, that old fossil is completely senile. A water dragon, silent guardian, why not fairies with that, uh?" Kid crossed her arms and shook her head rolling her eyes.

"I'm… not sure I get you there. Didn't you say you were convinced the frozen flame existed?"

"Look, I have the right to believe in the stories that I want, got that, mate?"

Serge raised his hands in defence as Kid advanced toward him, the threat of a kick to the shins suddenly very realistic.

"So, anybody know where this water dragon might be?"

"Oi, how surprising, Magiboy believes in these foolish stories."

"Don't worry, girl, you'll learn soon enough not to believe only in what your eyes can see." Kid sighed and turned to Leena, desperate to hear the opinion of someone sane.

"Well, I think she is right, guys, the only place this dragon could live is the water dragon isle and…" Leena timidly spoke.

Guile and Serge turned to her, waiting for the rest of the explanation and Kid was relieved to hear from Leena.

"…This isle is nothing but a barren wasteland. Toma the explorer spent months there but never found a hint of life there."

"A desert in this archipelago? Now that's something I didn't expect." Leena shrugged apologetically at Guile's statement.

Serge looked at the ground for a moment, a sad expression on his face but he quickly looked up and smiled brightly.

"Of course…The dragon doesn't live on this water dragon isle…" He murmured to himself.

"Oi, what was that mate?"

"I know where the dragon is. In my world the isle looks like a paradisiac rain forest. I've been there once, the dragon is there, I know it's there." With that Serge ran to the shore, unable to wait to find the dragon.

"Oi, get your arse back here mate, there's no way I'm gonna go after that giant cat-fish. Ya hear me?" But she was astounded to see Guile and Leena turning to follow Serge.

She blinked a few times, only standing there and watching them walk away. Coming to realize the group had settled for the water dragon quest, she shook her head in exasperation and began walking angrily toward the boat too, stomping her feet as hard as she could on the ground with every step.

"Freakin' geezer…" She whispered to herself, a few feet from the boat.

Termina, another world, 1020 A.D.

Peppor stood proudly on the deck of a great vessel. The cool breeze of the sea was ruffling his short hair and a triumphant look spread on his face. Loud clanking sounds from the huge chain that held the anchor could be heard as the crew prepared to set sail. He brought his hand inside his pocket and, feeling the round object that would finally bring him justice after so many years of hard work, felt at ease. His days as a common fighter would soon be over. He could picture himself in front of the general as the leader's noble blade was coming toward his shoulder to make him the fourth deva. His iron plate had been traded for the silver armor that was fit for this ceremony, everyone gathered on the Viper grounds, all eyes on him.

"But, Peppor, I totallyly totally don't get it…"

Still lost in his dream Peppor turned around to see where this harassing voice was coming from. Who dared to disturb his most cherished dream with such lousy complaining? He soon saw the crowd separating to allow a tall and lanky figure to come to him. Recognizing the one he held responsible for every setback in his life Peppor prayed to all the dragon gods not to let him any closer, but it appeared they sided against the short dragoon as he was pulled out of his dream and back to reality next to the lanky soldier.

"Didn't the general order us to stay behind to guard the manor against intruders? I may not be the brightestly brightest dragoon, but to me it seems like an important task and…" but he was cut off by a fulminating older brother.

Peppor's head was truly about to explode. He was literally mad at the general as he knew this mission was a way of making sure they wouldn't bring the operations in fort Dragonia to a failure. He had blatantly left them behind, considering them failures and the worst of it was his own brother failed to see the truth.

"Solt…" He said, grasping his brother by the collar.

"We've been renegades… shake it we've been failure until now..." Peppor managed to keep his head from exploding but clearly anger was boiling within him.

"But this is all shaking gonna change in a few days…" Peppor's face was inches from that of his sibling. A devilish smile crossed his lips as he brought the skull pendant to hang between their heads.

Both brothers only stared at each other for several seconds before Solt's features dropped in fear.

"Peppor, I, this is madness…" Solt's voice was weak as his mind was crushed under the intimidation of his brother's.

"shake it I know Peppor, but this is my last resort… and I won't let you screw us up this time, you are coming with me and you had better not chicken out or this family tree will lack a branch very soon." Even though the pressure of madness was driving him crazy Peppor mustered to keep his voice down so no one noticed their conversation.

With that Peppor let go of his sibling calmly and replaced the medallion in his pocket. Solt stood there watching his brother walk away before travelling over to the very edge of the deck and placed both gloved hands on the wooden handrail.

"Why didn't I just ask to take part in that mission on the mainland…?" The dragoon muttered to himself, feeling totally trapped.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14 : Ghost Ship in the Fog

Author's note:

First thing first: To all those who wondered, yes I'm still alive, though crushed under schoolwork and other issues.

Second thing second: thanks for all reviews, they're much appreciated.

Third thing third: I guess I've some explaining to do, so here it comes:

-I apologize again for the spelling and grammar mistakes

-Don't ask what will happen next, just wait to see the next chapter (yeah I know I feel for you on this one, I don't want to want for the next chapter either xD)

-If you're wondering why I made Marcy 20 years old, just be aware that a certain upcoming scene might put a certain deva in trouble should I have made her 11 years old... actually it's just that an 11 years old kid being a deva doesn't make any friggin' sense in my opinion.

Alright now, enough blabbering, here's chapter 14, hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 14****: Ghost Ship in the Fog**

El Nido sea, another world, 1020 A.D.

All four companions were silent in the boat as the wind curved the sail to carry them south toward Opassa beach and to Serge's home world where the water dragon supposedly resided. They all looked forward exploring the famous rain-forest covered island save for Kid who was still grumbling about how it was completely ridiculous and that dragons were nothing but a fantasy.

She had her face turned toward the sea and let out another sigh when she remembered about something. She removed one of her gloves to reveal her latest finding. The blue element glimmered ever so brightly in the sunlight. She took a moment to gaze at it with contentment.

"Oi, magi-boy, look what I found earlier. Now I can kick yer sorry arse to the moon even with all of yer fancy elements." Kid proudly displayed the bead so everyone could get a look at it.

"I have to admit I've never seen an element so bright. Where did you get it?" Leena asked, struck with awe.

Guile was nonchalantly making his way to Kid and her newfound treasure and stared at it without anymore amazement.

"Not bad… Now you can hand it over to me so no one gets killed." He said, extending an open palm.

"Oi, didja screw yur head the wrong way when you got up this morning, magi-boy? Finders keepers, plus I can't believe what a bloody egoistical arse yar sometimes. You already have loads in your collection and you want mine too?" Kid pouted, quickly putting her gloved hand back on it to protect her element.

"Fine then." Guile sighed, realizing he'd have some convincing to do.

"To answer your question this element you're holding is called _Deluge_. It is a very powerful storm element meant to attack multiple foes at a time. Just hand it to me so no accident happens." Guile offered.

"Oi, first of all I asked no answer of you, magi-boy, and second if you want it, just come and get it." Kid unsheated her dagger, dead-serious about keeping her element with Guile only staring at her and raising his brows.

"Fine. Have it your way then." With this the magician calmly walked back to his seat.

Leena waited for Kid to re-sheat her dagger and traveled over to Guile's seat and sat down next to him, expecting to get an explanation as to his warning.

"Uh, say what did you mean just then?"

"Hmm?" Guile turned his head to look at her, his mind coming back from a far-away trip once more.

"Oh, you mean about the power of the element?"

"Yeah, I've never seen one so bright before."

"It's because it contains much more energy than those of lower levels, you remember about element levels, right?"

"Uh, yeah, but What I wonder is why you were so worried about her using it, do you think she is that clumsy with elements, besides she's not a blue innate, so even if she uses it its effect will be weak won't it?"

"First of all, if you remember correctly I stated that level five and six elements are mass destruction weapons and half the strength of a mass destruction weapon is still a force to be reckoned with. But actually it's not about us that I worry it's about her."

"What? Why?" Leena asked, puzzled.

"Well, I highly doubt her aura contains enough energy to materialize the element, even using all of her vital energy, so that's why I'm mostly worried about her."

"Wow, now I don't understand a thing."

"Well, you see, to cast an element you need to materialize the energy inside. To do so you must temporarily imbue it with some of your own. This energy will come from your aura. The aura is made of two _supplies_, one is the vital amount of energy needed to maintain your aura. If it is depleted the aura fades and the person usually…dies. The rest is surplus energy that is gathered from the field and attaches to your aura. This is the energy first used when casting elements. A stronger aura acts like a stronger magnet and will attract more energy from the field allowing the caster to safely use stronger elements or use several weaker elements in a short lapse."

"So, what would happen if Kid tried to use the element…?" Leena was nervously grasping the pleats in her dress."

"You know, one thing is sure, seeing how stubborn she is, she will use it. In the best of cases her surplus energy will not be enough to trigger the element and nothing will happen. Now for the bad news, if she can trigger the element, it will draw all of her surplus and since it won't be enough to materialize the deluge it will start drawing energy from her vital supply until it has enough to materialize, probably to drain all of it."

"So that means Kid could…die?" Guile silently nodded.

"Oi, bugger, this conversation is getting so hot, when are you two leaving on a honeymoon?" Kid teased, inserting her head those of her friends, hands resting on her knees and grinning merrily.

Leena blushed profusely but Guile merely turned his head and closed his eyes rubbing the corners with his thumb and index.

"You know, normally I'd have been sorta angry with you for overhearing but since this could save your life you could almost say I'm glad you're awfully nosy."

"Hey, no worries, magi-boy, I know you don't get a chance to score so often so I'll just be very quiet now so you two can get some time alone." Leena blushed an even deeper red.

"Hey you guys, look what's waiting for us right ahead." Serge called out.

They all looked ahead and spotted a thick fog engulfing both the sea and the sky.

"That's strange… There's usually no fog around here… In fact, the only place in El Nido that sees fog is the Sea of Eden…" Leena whispered, then silently waiting for an answer.

"Could it be that we've drifted from our path?" Serge asked to the group.

Guile closed his eyes and extended his arms to the side, relaxing his fingers and breathing deeply.

"Oi, this ain't the time for a bloody sermon, magi-boy." But Guile paid no attention to Kid's comment and didn't re-open his eyes until he was done.

"We haven't drifted, I still feel the strong red-elemental energy emanating from the volcanoes on the main land."

"What's this thing ahead?" Serge asked, pointing to a blurry figure in the fog.

"Looks like a vessel to me." Guile answered.

"Could it be a…ghost ship?" Leena was shivering from the cold and the dreadful thought that had entered her mind.

"Oi, this ain't getting any better, first dragons, then ghosts. What's next? Aliens?"

Torn between fear and curiosity Serge could only watch as the wind was pushing their boat toward the massive vessel. Serge attached the small sail against the mast so their boat wouldn't be crushed against the ship but they eventually ended up right next to the vessel.

They all took some time to stare in awe at what looked like a shipwreck at first sight. No sign of life onboard, only an eerie silence coming to meet them.

"We…we should get away from here… my mom, she used to tell me stories of this ship, the Krumazy, it was a pirate ship. The crew, they used to plunder coastal villages of the main continent long ago. They were extremely cruel men, killing everyone in their path, often some who weren't even in their way. Eventually the king of Guardia was able to capture them and executed them, but the devil himself refused to greet them. So they continued to roam the seas as ghosts, now unable to quench their lust for gold and blood." Leena was nervously rubbing her left hand over her right fist and looking at the wooden planks of their boat.

"Girl, I have only one thing to say…" Kid fiercely said.

"I bloody hope this is some pirate ship! There's bound to be some treasure up there." She added, preparing to board the ship with a hook tied to a rope.

"…And as for those inexistent ghosts, you have your knight in his shining magi-clothes to protect you." With that Kid pulled on the rope to make sure it had properly gripped the ship and swung her legs over the rope.

Leena hesitantly looked at her other two companions only to see Serge walking to the rope.

"Guess we don't really have a choice after all, no point arguing with cap'n Kid when there's treasure ahead, mateys."

A few minutes later they were both on the vessel. Only the wind blowing against the sails and the waves breaking against the ship could be heard. Kid looked around and turned to look at Serge.

"So, enjoyed the view while you were climbing, mate?"

Serge blushed profusely and looked away once more.

"Oi, don't worry, I know you looked away, cuz otherwise I'd have made you walk the plank." Kid said, cheerfully slapping Serge's back and pointing to a device that had once served as a mean of entertaining the crew and feeding the sharks.

"You know, I'd really like it if you quit being such a tease sometimes…"

"So you mean you didn't enjoy your view?" Kid gave him a fake disappointed look.

"One of these days I'm gonna believe yur more interested in guys." She said, reverting to a cheerful smile.

"Oh, god…" Serge sighed.

"Shiver me timbers cap'n Kid, that quite a treasure you have, an old rotten ship with absolutely no gold or jewels at all." Guile mocked.

"Oi, yur gonna swim with the sharks this time, magi-boy." Kid violently unsheated her dagger.

"How dare you call our ship rotten, you scum of the sea?"

Their hearts all skipped a beat upon hearing this voice which belonged to none of them. A large man wearing a bandana and wielding a sabre walked toward them quickly followed by several equally brutal-looking men. Serge and his friends soon found themselves surrounded.

"Aye, usually you have to go to da plunder, but this time it came to us by itself, That's how it should be." One of them roared.

"Such fine company." A tall and lanky one said, carefully sliding his blade against Leena's neck and enjoying the scent of her hair.

"Aye, don't ye be touching ma fine dish with yer filthy hands."

"Don't worry, ye can have the left-overs when I'm done with her." The lanky man answered, letting out a malicious laughter.

"In this case I'll be taking the blonde one, get the other two on the plank…" The large man turned to Serge and Guile.

"Aye, we don't have anything against you, but the sharks'll enjoy you guys much more than us."

Six pirates got between Serge and the girls and the teenager carefully picked his swallow from his back as Guile prepared his wand.

"What're ya gonna do with this boy? Help mommy cut veggies. You should use a plastic knife instead so yur not gonna hurt yourself, matey." The pirate mocked.

_...wouldn't wanna get hurt, baby-boy… building sand castles… care to run back to mommy… not to afraid of the dark, kiddo… what's with the baby-sitter…?... This ain't kindergarten, y'know…_

Serge gritted his teeth and forcefully thrusted his swallow at the fat man. His opponent barely had the time to deflect the attack with his sabre and gave Serge a mocking grimace.

"Make way for cap'n Fargo." A loud voice rang.

They all turned to see a tall, muscular man walk toward them. He was dressed in black leather pants and vest and wore a massive bracelet on each wrist. A sharp sabre fell along his left leg ready for whoever would be foolish enough to challenge such a powerful-looking opponent. A tattoo of a snake had been drawn on his shoulder. His black hair was tied behind his head and a thick moustache covered his upper lip. A fuming cigar hung from the corner of his mouth and a red scarf rested around his strong neck.

With only the sound of his footsteps to oppose the sound of the waves crashing against the ship the man walked toward Serge with a disarming calmness. He stopped a few feet from Serge and motioned his head from left to right to observe the four intruders.

"Aye, three brats and a… well the blue-dragon-knows-what…" He said, taking his cigar from his mouth to enjoy exhaling a thick cloud of smoke once turning away from them.

"Oi, who're ya calling a brat, captain faggot?" Kid blurted out, rapidly unsheating her dagger.

Much to Kid's surprise the pirate leader didn't burst with anger, in fact he didn't even make a move for his sabre. Unable to explain such an absence of reaction Kid abruptly stopped only to see him slowly rotate his head to look at her with one eye.

"Aye, fine, a brat, a weirdo and two damsels in distress… but I was expecting better from that foul dog of Viper." Fargo said, replacing his cigar in his mouth and returning his eyes to the sea.

"We're not Viper's henchmen." Serge said in a tone of defiance.

"Really?" The captain's remark showed a total distrust.

"Then why would ye risk yer lives comin' ere?" He then asked, making it clear he wouldn't believe Serge's explanation anyway.

"That's none of your business, pirate." Came Serge's flat answer.

"is that so, matey? Then yer fate isn't of ma business either. Gentlemen, ye may begin ta entertain yerselves." He added, taking his leave.

The whole crew roared in apprehension and Serge quickly stepped forward to correct his mistake.

"I'm after that demi-human, Lynx" All went silent.

"…Well tha's even better, matey. Yer after ta devil."

"So, you know him?"

"Take a look 'round ye, matey, ain't a man 'ere that hasn't walked through hell."

"Yeah, I guess, but you didn't answer my question."

"I've heard of him, but if you ye truly wish ta die, I'll just make ye walk teh plank, matey, much more sensible wish."

"No one's gonna die, except maybe you if you don't call it quits with the arrogance, pirate." Guile interrupted.

"So ta Punchinello can talk, eh?"

"He can also send you to the bottom of the ocean."

"Hmm… I wonder how serious he is about that." The captain said, crossing his arms over his massive chest.

"Dead serious" Guile replied, tightly gripping his wand.

"Not ye, I was referring to da boy looking for teh devil." The captain's pupils glided to the corner of his eyes so he would be staring at Serge.

Serge didn't reply but clenched his teeth as he stared back at the pirate leader.

"Aye, I see, fierce determination… I like that, lad!"

"So, you're releasing us or what?" Serge asked, placing his left hand on his swallow to direct the blade at the pirate.

"Aye, ye certainly won't make it through that fiend if ye can't beat me, matey, so how 'bout it?" Serge frowned, not certain to understand the pirate's suggestion.

Up to this day Serge had faced many warriors and they all shared one characteristic that certainly annoyed Serge, they all looked down on him. And here, strangely enough, this pirate, who should have been the brashest of all, extended his hand out to him, in a way.

"Care ta tryout for teh clan of men, lad?" The captain exhaled some smoke.

"Fine. If I win, you free us right away."

"An' what if I win, matey?"

"You'll do whatever _ye_ want with us."

The captain's eyes widened, surprised by Serge's boldness. Kid's reaction was also noticeable.

"Oi, what are you…" She took a step forward but was denied access to Serge by Guile who extended his arm to put his wand between her and the young man. She immediately turned her head to the magician and revealed gritted teeth. Guile's reaction to this threat was barely a side glance, making it clear to her this was Serge's fight and no one else's.

"Deal." Serge said in a low voice and walked to the captain.

The crew moved to form a large circle around the two fighters which would act as an arena. Guile, Kid and Leena all opted for a spot right between the contestants so they would get a clear view of the events.

"Do you really think he can win this fight?" Leena whispered close to Guile's ear.

"Frankly, I have no idea." Was Guile's flat answer.

"What?" Leena's fist clenched and came to her mouth in a reflex of fear for her friend.

"My idea, you see, is that this pirate was right: if he can't defeat the seadog he won't stand a chance against Lynx."

Leena half-heartedly acknowledged that Guile was right but the other part of her mind was worried sick about what would happen should Serge lose the fight.

The captain first engaged the fight by charging at Serge and raising his sword to bring it down in a vertical arc. The blow was powerful and speedy but Serge was able to sidestep out of harm's way. An average fighter would have been left open for a horizontal spinning cut but the captain managed to get his sword up back again to deflect Serge's first offensive move.

Fargo then trusted several times at Serge who had no choice but to take a step back with each attack. Fargo closed the distance between them way too quickly to Serge's liking. Only a few feet now separated him from the circle formed by the rest of the pirates.

Fargo was probably the most experienced opponent Serge had faced so far. Physically he was very strong and his speed wasn't something to neglect either. His moves were also quite accurate. In other words, Serge had to find a way to put a stop to Fargo's offensive otherwise, sooner or later, he would end up slaughtered. An efficient way to keep an opponent from attacking is to attack yourself, the teenager thought.

Serge spun right foot and raised his swallow while his body stood between his weapon and Fargo and brought it down in an oblique slash. Even though Fargo had fought countless people in his life it was the first time he faced someone who used a swallow. He didn't know for sure what kind of moves to expect but the whirl indicated a fast and powerful blow so he opted to step back to avoid the attack. Serge immediately followed with the exact same move, resulting in the pirate stepping back again.

Eager to force the captain further back Serge used the movement two more times with success but on the fifth attempt the pirate had noticed the flaw in this move. Instead of stepping back his threw himself forward and to the side. Serge's weapon flew a few inches above Fargo' head as he swung his sword horizontally to tear both Serge's shorts and the skin of his thigh.

Luckily for him the pirate rarely had to execute this move in the past and his attempt resulted in a simple flesh cut but a small trail of blood reached Serge's sock. Fargo rolled to get back up but was taken by surprise as he was forced to rear lunge in order to deflect Serge's next slash. He was left open for three more slashes before he was able to get back in a steady stance. It appeared he had underestimated the teenager and Fargo cursed himself for having been so reckless. The swallow appeared as an odd weapon but considering the size of the blades, someone wielding it was not to be messed with, even if this person was still a kid.

Both fighters took a pause and slowly circled around each other, preparing a strategy for the next part. Fargo was as calm as ever, exhaling smoke from the corner of his mouth. Even though each portion of air he breathed was tainted by this smoke the pirate's lungs gave no sign of fatigue yet, no panting and no coughing either.

The adrenaline rush in Serge's body had faded and his breathing was now fast but steady. Fargo appeared to be as skilled as Karsh only this time it was one on one. Surely he had improved since then but would this be enough?

Serge's pondering was cut short when Fargo's blade came crashing against one of Serge's weapon. Here was a thing that probably made Fargo superior to Karsh: he wasn't mad of anger. His mind appeared to be as peaceful as it can be. The pirate swiftly delivered four additional slashes, all aimed at Serge's chest. Serge was finally able to get an opening after the last slash and brought of one of his swallow's blades upward in an arch while maintaining the other close to him.

Fargo quickly brought his sword down to block the attack before the movement acquired strength though momentum. Serge smiled as he realized the pirate had made his first mistake. The teenager immediately swung the other blade toward his opponent and was able to land a first cut in Fargo's shoulder. The captain recoiled in pain and grasped his wound. He slowly moved his hand away from his injury and observed blood trickle to the ground.

Fargo shook his limber and grunted to chase the pain away and resumed his fighting stance. The pirate took narrowed his eyes as if refocusing and charged at Serge again. Serge raised a blade to deflect the vertical downward slash and swung his weapon to the left to block Fargo's crescent kick with the shaft.

The next offence came too quickly for Serge and he was forced off balance to avoid the pirate's thrust. Fargo seized this opportunity and landed a mighty right hook on Serge's jaw which sent the boy several steps backwards. A sharp pain radiated in all of his head and he brought a hand to his cheek and examined the wounded area as he was left panting.

Even though the force of the impact had been considerable all bones still seemed intact. Still the inside of his mouth was beginning to fill with blood as Fargo's punch had severed many small blood vessels and tore some skin against his teeth. Serge coughed as blood spurted from his lips.

"Don't worry matey, I'm not angry at you for dirtying my ship." Fargo said emotionlessly, only observing Serge recovering with difficulty.

…_Is that all you are capable of, arbiter…__? I am utterly disappointed… I was expecting more determination from the one I am seeking…_

…_That voice…again…_

Serge clenched his jaws through severe pain and raised his chin to look at his opponent.

"You haven't seen the last of me, pirate." Serge said before running at Fargo.

Serge aimed a diagonal slash at the pirate's right shoulder but Fargo was able to get out of range in time. The teenager rapidly brought the other blade up but this time the captain didn't fall for it. Instead of trying to block the move he simply moved away from Serge once more. Serge used the momentum of this second move to launch a fierce roundhouse kick which landed right in Fargo's stomach.

The pirate lost his breath and his cigar at the same time. Serge took a second to admire his work, finally he had been able to shake his opponent. Fargo was left out of breath and had to pause for a moment before he could stand up straight again. Upon regaining his composure the pirate realized his lips weren't clenched on his usual cigar anymore. He slowly looked down and spotted his prized possession.

"Aye boy, I 'ave seen blood on this deck, but ma cigar, that hasn't happened often." Fargo said, using his sabre to pick the object from the floor and examining it.

"Well, guess I'd better quit messin' around an' be serious. Here I come."

Fargo quickly discarded the cigar and rushed at Serge with renewed energy as his lungs were now free from the intoxicating smoke. Fargo's assaults were now faster, more powerful and less time elapsed between blows as he his recovery time had been shortened.

Serge couldn't see any pattern in his opponent's moves and yet they were coming fast and some seemed to come back every so often. Serge managed to deflect most blows but some were able to make it past his weapon and reached his flesh in order to cut it open. Luckily Fargo hadn't been able to land any deep cut so far but with the number of attacks and Serge's total inability to counter the odds were that sooner or later he would be in trouble.

There were now numerous cuts on Serge's arms and body and still he showed no sign of giving up. Adrenaline literally kept pain from surging through his body and allowed him to continue, but for how long…?

There was always a chance if he could use an element, but that would require a bit of time and that meant putting some space between him and Fargo. So far the captain had ensured to keep that space to a minimum, suggesting he wasn't skilled with elements. There was also the fact that not a single element bead could be spotted on him nor his weapon.

Serge had finally found a ray of hope but the price of that distraction happened to be higher than he would have thought. Fargo found himself a nice opening between the blades of his swallow and lodged another fierce punch. This one connected with Serge's sternum and the teenager's frail body bent forward as air was forced out if his lungs. This time Fargo gave him no time to recover and sent him flying backwards with a mighty upward kick.

Serge landed hard on his back and felt the impact in every bit of his body. He gritted his teeth and forced himself kneeling through much pain. In the circle that formed the arena Guile clenched his jaws and looked at the deck.

"Come on, boy, get up, how are you going to face Lynx if you get your ass kicked by a mere pirate?" He whispered to himself.

Fargo was slowly approaching a severely injured Serge with a cold emotionless expression on his visage. Serge squeezed the shaft of his weapon with all his might. He wasn't sure of Fargo's innate element but this was his only chance. The pain made it hard to focus but he was able to release the energy from a glowing red bead.

The pirate was engulfed in a cloud of boiling lava and Serge was able to get up again, his body being surged by renewed strength. The effect on the element was starting to wear off and Serge was eager to see the result of his attack. The image of the captain protecting his face with his forearms formed a couple of feet away from him.

Serge's opponent carefully lowered his shield and took a look at the burns the element had left on his flesh. He shook off the pain with a mighty roar and charged at Serge but there was still no trace of anger in his mind.

"Not bad, lad, ye managed to deal some damage even though I had a shield active."

"Damn, a shield…" Serge cursed himself for not having expected that.

The lengthening battle was slowly turning to Serge's advantage. Fargo's heavy muscles allowed for tremendous power but they also caused him to fatigue faster. He was trying to put an end to this fight and it showed. He was literally using the last on his strength on devastating moves. Even though Serge was able to block the sabre with his swallow the impact of the attacks was forcing him backwards.

The pirate was able to land a powerful kick on Serge's knee which forced him to kneel. Fargo immediately swung his sword in an oblique arc aimed straight at Serge's head. The teenager bobbed his limb and pulled out with a slashed cheek but was able to get up and get out of Fargo's range for a while, just enough time to recover.

Fargo's next attack came without warning. He brutally swung his sword four times and struck home thrice, leaving three gashes on Serge's left arm. The teenager's limb was covered in blood, both dried and fresh. Fargo quickly followed by a mighty uppercut which sent Serge to the ground, his swallow landing on the deck, away from his body.

"Well, lad, a gotta admit not so many made it this far, but this is the end…" Fargo, was resting his hands on his knees, recovering before a final assault.

Serge's vision was getting blurry and he had trouble hearing all the people screaming around him. His eyes closed and his mind faded to black.

He found himself in a strange place. Everything was made from metal. He looked down and saw several wires making their way to a huge pedestal on which stood an enormous orange glass sphere. All the wires connected to the sphere and odd noises emitted from the device. Serge looked around…clearly he was alone in this room. He approached the device, captivated by the object… he was persuaded he had seen it before, but where?

Serge's mind was racing, desperate for answers. Where was he? Why was he here? What happened to Fargo and the pirates? All those objects, they were just so… strange. There were no such things in El Nido… but then where could he be? Or maybe when could they be?

"Could I have…traveled through time…?" Serge whispered, remembering how he had traveled across dimensions through the worm hole on Opassa beach.

"Kid! Guile! Leena!" He screamed desperately, but no answer came.

"Damn, where have I landed this time?" He struck the pedestal with all his might but the device didn't even flinch.

"Oh, la la Serge, no need for zuch colère. Calm down, pleaze."

Serge automatically turned to see the jester he had encountered before and his fists clenched in anger.

"You, get me outta here, now!" He screamed, raising a fist in threat.

"Oh, la la I'm afraid I can't mon Serge, only you can do zis…"

Serge charged at Harle but stopped abruptly when his body passed through the harlequin. He turned around and realized that she was now gone and he was alone again.

"So it finally happened, arbiter, it appears you are about to fall."

Serge raised his eyes and saw a mocking smile spread on the lips of a feline demi-human.

"Lynx…"

"So, what do you think? This is the source of your troubles, arbiter." Lynx said, referring to the glass sphere.

"You…" Serge glanced at the device again and then at the demi-human.

"I certainly wish I could end this right now, arbiter, but alas I cannot, otherwise the transfer could not be made. Let's see, how will I bring you back to the other side without killing you?"

Serge felt a cold chill running down his back. No matter how much he wanted to kill the demi-human he couldn't help but be terrorized when staring at this embodiment of evil. A strange aura of destruction emanated from the dark being.

Serge raised his arms in defence, bracing himself for whatever Lynx had in store for him. Serge saw the demi-human flinch and swung his fist but he was too late: Lynx had caught his fist and held it in place with his iron grip as he brought his face close to Serge's.

"Let anger guide you through every obstacle…" He whispered, placing a small object in Serge's hand and driving his sharp fangs in the smooth flesh of Serge's neck.

Serge screamed in pain and felt a violent wave shaking up his body. His eyes opened only to see Fargo looming over him, his sabre raised to put a definite end to their confrontation.

Turning her head away and closing her eyes, Leena knew she couldn't stand seeing her friend die in front of her. Guile and Kid had their jaws clenched, apprehending the outcome of the fight.

Serge's only reflex was to clench his fist. Realizing he was actually squeezing an object, the teenager was shocked to see fierce lightning bolts surging from his fist and hitting Fargo's weapon. Racing through the metal weapon the electricity pierced through the elemental shield and paralyzed Fargo's body, leaving the captain screaming in uncontrollable agony.

The teenager seized the opportunity and made a run for his weapon. He wasted no time and plunged the blade through Fargo's body, the wooden handles on his swallow protecting him from the powerful yellow element. He quickly pulled out the blade to place a strong kick to the injured spot, sending Fargo to the ground.

Fargo got on his knees and placed a hand on his injured stomach and realized he had been seriously wounded, pain still paralyzing his mid-section. He looked up to see Serge breathing with difficulty, barely able to remain standing, his young body covered in blood. Fargo grunted in pain as his body refused to launch another attack.

"Aye… ye, ye win lad…" Fargo said, panting and coughing.

"It was supposed to be a fight to death, wasn't it? Why should I spare you while you would have finished me when you had the chance?" Serge managed to raise his weapon but felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned to see Guile showing him a proud smile for a second but quickly reverting to a calm expression, suggesting it would be best to spare the pirate. Serge lowered his weapon, still staring directly at Fargo.

Serge then felt a tingling sensation in his left shoulder and quickly found himself unable to bear his own weight. His body dropped to the ground like a corpse.

--

El Nido sea, home world, 1020 A.D.

Lynx sat silently in front of a luxurious wooden table aboard the Grand Salamander, also known as Viper's imperial ship. The ever-silent room's was under the frail light of four torches that hung from the walls. Against two of the walls was a red velvet couch. On one of the couches sat an amphibian demi-human whose neck rapidly inflated and deflated with every breath he took. Leaning against the closest armrest was the warrior's most-prized possession, a magnificent katana forged by his ancestors in the rare material known as denadorite. Not so far from him were a bull demi-human and a bird demi-human playing a game of chess.

A fish demi-human was resting on the other couch, his eyes closed but not asleep, his right hand covering his face and the other hanging from the piece of furniture to rest on the deck. Finally, a goat demi-human gazed at the dead calm sea.

In the very middle of the room was the one they all obeyed without questioning. Under his eyes was a glass pyramid in which a strange half-gas, half-liquid substance was giving birth to grotesque images.

All who took a look at those forms could swear this was nothing but a futuristic child toy, except for one particular individual. This individual had dedicated three years of his life to the art of the arcanes, the very individual who sat right by the pyramid. In Lynx's mind the swirling substance formed shapes that revealed him forbidden secrets of the past, the present… and even some of the future.

All of the other demi-humans were quite nosy when it came to Lynx's rituals, but none dared say a word, barely they glanced from the corner of their eye every now and then, as they knew their leader didn't appreciate disturbances while he was meditating upon the demenor.

At this very moment Lynx's eyes narrowed as his mind tried to focus harder than ever. Forcing life to reveal its secrets was no easy task but and the feline demi-human wasn't holding the bigger end of the stick when facing the glass pyramid, but no matter he pushed himself to the point of exhaustion for he knew he had passed the first test, he was able to read through the elemental swirl.

For now he was barely able to catch glimpse of trivial moments but in time this ability could make the difference between success and failure. Lynx clenched his fists on the able as his mind was engaging in an ultimate effort to extirpate information from the demenor.

The image before him was foggy was fascinating, at least when it came to Lynx. It wasn't a simple image of a young boy, the substance was about to open itself on a vision of an event that took place several years ago.

Lynx's mind was reaching its limit, but the demi-human wouldn't let go: he had to succeed to time. Sweat was now forming on Lynx's forehead, his breathing was abnormally slow as some of his brain functions were still battling to avoid the trance. The demi-human was fighting against himself to deny his mortality, and for an instant delve into the kingdom of those who would see eternity.

"Seeking immortality…"

Lynx's concentration was brutally broken and his mind was shocked for a moment as he was coming back from a distance that approximated half-way between the mortal realm and the garden of the gods.

His body was weak, literally exhausted from his training. He slowly opened his eyes to the harlequin who stood before him. He did not speak a word, still breathing with difficulty, frowning at the jester with much seriousness.

"It appears you have made progress, non?"

"…I believe so." Lynx had finally regained his composure and rested his forearms on the table, not lowering his gaze.

"Leave." One could have sworn the demi-human had spoken to a ghost but all other demi-human calmly got up and went through the door, leaving Lynx and Harle alone in the dimly-lit room.

Harle had made her way to one of the windows that allowed passengers to gaze at the sea while Lynx's guests were leaving. Lynx rose and proceeded to put his cloak back on but stopped half-way through the gesture.

"Quite hard, iz it, to break ze prophet's secret, non?"

"…Yes, but unlike him I haven't had an eternity to do so."

"It appearz you have challenged Clotho…Zis means you can rival with Lachesis, non? But Clotho is much more prudente, monsieur Lynx: she only reveals her ways to those who have broken the pattern…et Atrapos, zhere iz no way, only surviving ze end will do it…"

Lynx quietly listened to Harle's monologue about the deities of fate and repressed his anger as he knew she was right. Harle, just like the prophet, had seen through the end. She was able to read through most mortals' end. There were very few things that irritated the demi-human, even fewer he couldn't control and this very evidence displayed both characteristics.

"It is true, Harle, that you possess talents I might never equal but do not worry, for I am like nature itself, I will find a way, even through the end of the world, to survive and force destiny to hear my voice."

Harle lowered her gaze. Such was the demi-human's blessing, in a way. He certainly didn't have the favors of the gods nor those of men but somehow he managed to deal with his own weaknesses to crush them and extract those of others to bend them to his will.

"Ah, but, je ne vais pas vous empêcher. If it is what you truly seek, zhen, face Atropos… and ze consequences."

"Challenging a goddess is not a feat that must be taken lightly that I know of Harle. However, no matter what the appearances might be, I will not defy Atropos…"

Harle's eyes narrowed, unsure of the meaning of the demi-human's words.

"I do not need to foresee the future Harle, as I can influence it."

"Je crois… It iz not ze future but destiny zat you wish to change, Monsieur Lynx."

"You are clever Harle but changing the future of a million men sometimes sums up to changing that of a single man."

"True but zhere are otherz who are beginning to see ze light, non?"

"I admit… she has the blessing but unfortunately for them, she was too late."

"But you had not planned zis, Monsieur Lynx." Lynx chuckled as he lowered his gaze for a moment.

The demi-human slowly walked toward the jester, hands behind his back, absolutely not fearing exposing his body to the powers of the harlequin.

"Harle, you tend to forget why you became involved in this plan in the first place, don't you."

"Do not be mistaken, Monsieur Lynx, ze end does not justifies ze means, at least not for moi."

"But this end is the only acceptable end for your cause, so we are tied by the wrists until we both meet this end."

A conversation with the feline demi-human was something Harle abhorred, especially when is turned out to his advantage.

"He is coming."

"Yes, that I do know of." Lynx replied, a mocking smile on his lips

"And he will get Ayergomoth's blessing…"

Lynx remained quiet and immediately began weighing the consequences of those words as Harle turned to leave.

--

El Nido sea, another world, 1020 A.D.

"Look! I think he's coming back to his senses." Serge's first blurry vision was a strange mix of light brown and yellow with two moving blue spots.

Instinctively the boy reached with his hand to compensate for his lack of eyesight at the moment

"Oi, mate, that's not exactly my idea of a gentleman, y'know."

Serge sat up bolt right, violently shook his head but quickly re-coiled as a terrible headache tore through his mind like a lightning bolt.

"Looks like you'll have to take it easy for a while. I used a healing element on you but that jelly-fish venom was rather nasty." Leena came to sit next to him and placed a hand on his forehead to ensure that he didn't have any fever.

"The only thing that increases his body temperature is the fact that Sergei here likes to get his dirty hands where he shouldn't." Kid replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Serge quickly took a look at his right palm the very same way a parent would have looked upon a child he simply couldn't believe was guilty of misbehaving. He then turned his head to look at a chuckling Guile shaking his head.

"Don't worry, boy, you only poked at her eyes."

"Sheesh, magi-boy, why do you always have to ruin my fun?" Kid's smile immediately faded to a sad frown.

"Well, it is an excellent way for me to have fun."

"Damn pirates, why did you stop me Guile? I knew they couldn't be trusted." Serge still fought against a sharp pain in his head."

"Well, even god-like figures like me make mistakes sometimes."

"Wow… such modesty, you even admitted you can make mistakes."

As the scene was obviously turning to a dispute they all turned too the door as they heard the knob turning. The door slowly opened a few inches but not enough to reveal their liberator. Serge rapidly reached for his weapon but realized it had been taken from him. He then got up and raised his fists in defence even though he had pretty much no experience in fist fighting.

They all got ready for whatever would come through the door but none would have expected to see a bony hand covered with rotting tendons and ligaments gripping the wooden door.

"Eeeeeeek!" Leena let out a shriek as Serge's and Kid's face showed a mix of horror and disgust. Only Guile appeared to be keeping some sort of composure.

Guile's reaction was to get in front on the three teenagers to act as a shield. It was only then he realized his weapon had been taken away from him, but he was the type of magician who could pull out a bunny out a hat even without the garment at his disposal.

Guile clenched a fist in front of him, closed his eyes, took a deep breath a waited for his opponent to show himself. The undead creature eventually pushed the door open and revealed itself. The skeleton stared at the magician through empty sockets, tightly gripping a rusty blade that would normally have proved deadly against an unarmed opponent such as Guile was now.

The revenant's jaw dropped slightly in a crackling noise as it raised its weapon, preparing to strike. It charged at Guile with an unholy battle cry which was quickly replaced by a scream of agony as a ball of pure holy light fired from Guile's now open hand. The white element easily tore through the skeleton reducing the areas directly hit to dust and scattering the rest through the small room.

Serge slowly walked up to Guile, still unable to believe his eyes. He looked around for a moment, forced to realize those bones were damn real and he wasn't in some sort of nightmare.

"This is not an effect of the jelly-fish poison they injected us, this fellow was real, we need to get out of here, quick!" Guile turned to the girls.

Guile rapidly led the group into the hallway and through the stairs onto the main deck. Around them several pirates were fighting against an army of skeletons. Not too far from the pirate ship was another ship. It appeared extremely old, its structure was rotting, the sails were nothing but shreds barely hanging to the masts. Considering the state of the ship Serge had a hard time understanding how this thing could remain afloat.

Uncertain of what to do Serge's first idea was to get back on their boat and get away from this nightmare as fast as possible but two skeletons blocked their path, threatening to send them to the bottom of the sea with their blades. The teenager turned around, hoping Guile could pull off his previous trick once more but the magician was already busy with two ghostly opponents that proved quite a nuisance with their long arms ending in sharp claws.

Serge then heard a strong noise of impact and saw each skeleton being pierced by a sabre and then hurled overboard.

"Not the time ta be day-dreamin', lad. Get to the wheel!" Fargo screamed, turning around to deflect the assault of another undead.

"But.. I-I don't know how to…"

"So yer expecting me to operate the ship and deal with those at the same time while ye wobble yer mollusc ass 'round? Get up there and just turn it 'til the front of the ship is facing their side. I'll order me men to pull the anchor and we'll spur them."

Serge looked at Kid for a second and followed her to the wheel. The two of them quickly managed to get the massive wheel moving. Serge was simply amazed at how such little effort could lead to such a strong effect. The vessel rapidly turned around to directly face the ghost ship, its spur pointing at its opponent's flank.

"Well done, lad. Now, pull the anchor."

Four of Fargo's men used all their might rotating the anchor's lever to get the heavy steel mass away from the bottom of the sea. A loud creaking noise was heard as the current and wind's pressure was taken off from the ship to be turned into movement, driving the pirate ship through the ghost ship.

Water quickly poured into the hold to allow the sea to engulf its prey. Re-energized by a now certain victory the pirate crew had no trouble fending off the remaining scum. A roar of pride was heard as the ship in shambles disappeared below the surface.

Still behind the wheel Serge's heart was still racing, his mind overwhelmed by the recent events. After a while his brain calmed down and he looked around, expecting Kid's reaction through a friendly but mighty pat in the back but the gesture never came. All he saw was a troubled Kid, staring straight ahead, as if mesmerized by the song of a siren.

"Hey, You alright, Kid?" He asked, waving in front of her.

"Oi, uh, yeah, of course, I'm alright, mate." She answered, half-lying, still having trouble to put up with what just happened.

Serge then heard massive footsteps coming toward them, signalling someone heavy was climbing the stairs that led to the wheel. The boy soon saw Fargo's face appear, followed by his body. Fargo walked up to him and both males stared at each other for a moment. Facing the captain unarmed Serge then realized he was at the pirate's mercy. Dread spread through his mind as the older man's brows formed a frown. He slowly raised his arms in defence as the pirate's muscular limbs reached toward him to seize him by the shoulders.

"Aye, that was one hell of a spurring, lad."

As the fear that kept his body rigid was drained away, Serge's body became so weak for a moment that Kid's pat almost knocked him to the ground.

"Aye, I was about to ask to join me crew but seein' how you get knocked out by a girly punch, I think I'll wait till you toughen up a bit, lad." The captain joked.

"Oi, what are you calling a girly punch?" Kid teasingly replied.

"Ha, I like lasses with guts. Now, all of you, come with me. I got something I wanna show you." Fargo announced, descending to the lower deck once more.

Once halfway between the main masts, Fargo abruptly stopped and turned to face the sea at the exact location where the ghost ship had sunk.

"Do ye have any idea what that was jus' then, lad?"

"Uh, some…ghost-ship I'd say." Serge answered, still having trouble to believe he had sunk an undead vessel.

"A ghost ship? A fucking ghost ship, ye say?" Serge wasn't sure if the pirate's voice held fury or bliss.

"Lad, that wasn't just a ghost ship. That was cap'n Morgan "tripleye" Mcmanderer's vessel. He was once teh most dreaded man on earth while alive."

"But he's not alive anymore, is he" Serge timidly asked.

"Hell, no. Two hundred years ago king Guardia XVIII's kingdom was regularly plundered by tripleye's sharks… Well, plundered would be an understatement: the man litteraly massacred every village he came across, grabbing everything with a monetary value and burning the rest."

"Those pirates… how horrible…" Leena interrupted.

"Watch yer mouth, lass, yer in front of a pirate." Fargo nonchalantly scolded her before continuing his tale.

"Unable te endure the gore anymore, the king dispatched spies to learn Morgan's whereabouts and goals so as to set a trap fer him. The king ordered to spread a rumor that the harvest of next year's taxes would be traveling through the village of Dorino. Morgan couldn't resist. The simple idea of getting his hands on the king's property set him on fire. He sent his men after the loot, but instead of teh treasure, they were greeted by the king's army." Fargo paused for a moment, as if troubled by his own story.

"They captured all of teh crew and sentenced them to death. They chained every one of them on their ship and set fire to teh vessel as it slowly sailed away, pushed by teh current. Cruel death if ye ask me, but there were some who claimed the king had still been too merciful. They resorted to teh help of a wizard-warlock, I'm not sure, who bestowed a curse on the crew. In teh night, teh ship abruptly stopped burning, but still floating away, the consuming corpses turning into servants of the reaper. Their souls would be tortured endlessly until their ship was at the very bottom of teh sea."

"Oi, why didn't they just sink their own ship, bloody idiots?" Kid brashly cut off the pirate.

"Fer a pirate, there's no worse betrayal." The pirate snapped back, but managing to keep his temper in check.

"Fer the last two hundred years they've frothed the seas and oceans, spreading destruction but enduring ten times the pain they caused around them. I was but a young cabin boy when a first heard of Morgan's story. Old cap'n "dogear" once told me how he had caught sight of a derelict ship that seemed to hover above the sea one foggy night. I was fascinated by his tale, but to think I'd live to send the most dreadful crew of the seas returned as foul rotting undeads to teh bottom o' the sea, ye've rocked the soul of an old seadog like no storm could have, lad."

While Serge and Leena had been listening to Fargo's story with an attentive ear, Guile had been studying the sea and the sky for hints of the future weather and Kid had been turning her head frantically in every direction, taking absolutely no interest in the pirate's story and desperately seeking something worthy of her attention.

"Oi, shouldn't there be some bounty on this ship. How about we dive to weigh down our pockets?" Kid asked, disappointed to realize that so far pirate hadn't necessarily meant treasure.

"How 'r ya gonna make it back ta the surface then, lass?" Fargo replied, experience and wisdom of the sea echoing through the embarrassing question.

"Oi, uh, you'll be surprised how good of a swimmer I can be, pirate." Kid snapped back, taking offense at the pirate's lack of respect for her treasure-hunting skills.

Fargo took his cigar out of his mouth to let out a good-hearted chuckle as well some rings of smoke.

"I'll spare you teh trouble, lad. Morgan's treasure isn't on his ship. Ye see, like every good pirate, they used to grab the loot and hide it somewhere safe they could return to in case their ship was sunk. But if yur serious about finding teh bounty, then ye'll have to search the whole world over 'cuz I don't have a damn clue as to where it is, but still I let you have this." Fargo gestured for another pirate to come closer and he whispered something in his subordinate's ear.

The pirate nodded and walked toward to the stairs that led into the lower parts of the vessel.

"First, yer free, all of ye." At this very moment Kid felt a pulsing desire to unsheathe her dagger to let it explain to the pirate she had never once considered herself his prisoner.

"Second, I'm giving yer weapons back, yer worthy of wielding them." With this Kid's hand went to her waist, realizing her previous idea would have proved difficult to carry out and silently cursing the captain.

"Third, there's somet'ing I want ye ta have." The captain turned his body to grab a wooden chest brought back by the pirate who had just returned from the cellar.

Fargo opened the chest and gestured for Serge to come closer. Serge leaned over to get a closer look at what seemed to be brown rocks. He raised his head to look at the pirate with a puzzled look.

"Not familiar with a see. Tis lad is denadorite. Tis extremely rare and comes from teh Yellow Dragon's island caves. A can't do much with I meself but if ye can find a good blacksmith e'll be able ta forge ye one hell of a weapon. Tis light but insanely resistant." Fargo presented Serge with the chest.

The teenager gladly took the gift nodding in thanks and the captain nodded back in welcome.

"Arr, Ah almost fergot, lad, if ye wanna face teh devil, this should come in handy." The pirate reached inside his vest and showed Serge a glowing red bead.

"Tis a strengthen element. Ye won't find it in shops. Tis baby literally enhances the blood flow to yer muscles and makes ye stronger and faster, but only fer a short time, so give it all ye got, lad."

Serge accepted the second gift and socketed it in his retrieved weapon, eager to see what it could muster in terms of enhancement.

"Arr, well, time te part now, matey, may teh Water dragon watch over you." With this the pirate extended his forearm at a forty-five degree angle, suggesting a true handshake of friendship.

Serge confidently accepted the captain's departure gesture and took his leave, hoping the pirate's wish would come true, since he definitely required the dragon's help to get across the boiler that separated him from Fort Dragonia.

Termina, another world, 1020 A.D.

Lisa politely wished a good evening as what she thought would be the last people she's deal with today and turned toward the shelves to re-arrange the merchandise and clean up the shop for the night.

She carefully picked the velvet boxes containing the elements on display and moved them so they would be perfectly aligned. Soon another day would have passed, another day as the owner of the shop, another since her father had passed away.

She could still remember all the days she had spent at the shop, her father raising her on his own while operating the business. She could have gone outside to play with the other kids as much as she wanted but somehow she was fascinated by those shining beads and simply followed her father through his work, listening to numerous conversations, all related to elements, their effects, their scarcity, their price.

By the time she was a teenager she had learned pretty much everything one needed to run an element shop and through a cruel irony destiny chose that moment to take the sole remaining member of her family away to the garden of the gods. She had the knowledge, not yet the courage but she had to step up and carry on her father's dream.

Her first years as a businesswoman had been quite harsh as her father had always taken care of the whimsical patrons and the suppliers with a nasty tendency to overestimate the value of their stock. Dealing with elements had always been fairly simple for her but people, especially those with an appetite for competition, had remained a mystery to her for a long time.

How could they value money above everything else, even their loved ones sometimes? There had been night were she just sat against wall behind her bed thinking how she'd trade all the money she had inherited only to have her father back.

Now all those injuries were covered by thick and somewhat unsteady scar tissue, allowing her to live on and face the fact that money was eternal and people were simply not.

Lisa carefully pushed one last box and took a step back to admire her work. Just then her heart skipped a beat as she felt a hand on her right shoulder. That hand was cold and bony with long gnarly fingers. She quickly turned around and saw two men standing right in front of her.

Her eyes immediately went to the one she suspected had _warned_ her of their presence. He appeared quite old as suggested his wrinkly and yellow-greenish skin. His cranium was hairless save for a few long strands of white hair that fell on his back. His hands and head were the only parts of his frail-looking body left exposed by his dusty brown cassock. A skull-shaped golden medallion hung from his neck to rest on his chest. Even though the room was now quite dark, Lisa could swear that this accessory had black elements for eyes and a mouth.

The other individual was a middle-aged man with long curly brown hair that reached the middle of his back. He was rather tall, muscular and clearly had the appearance of a soldier, but strangely enough he didn't seem to carry any weapon. He wore a blue tunic decorated with golden stripes that covered every button of the garment and extended horizontally. A brown leather belt encircled his waist and matching boots protected his feet. His arms hung motionlessly to the sides of his body covered by a long chestnut cape. His visage was masculine yet beautiful but the detail that struck Lisa's mind the most was the eye-patch that covered his now missing left organ.

"Y-you scared me, I-we're closed now."

"Oh, I beg your pardon, my lady, I didn't mean to scare you. However, you wouldn't turn down a last-minute patron, would you?" The old man's tone was apologetic and pleading.

Lisa considered both men for a moment. Even though none seemed to be armed nor menacing she wasn't exactly willing to entrust them.

"Well… alright but please make this quick, it is night already and the day starts early for a shop owner.

"Of course, of course." The man waved his wrinkly hand in agreement.

Lisa left the two men to their shopping and exited to the back room for a moment.

"Are you certain we'll find some here? This appears to be but a standard element shop." The brown-haired man whispered to his elder.

"Nobody taught you that you need to dig to find treasures." The elder replied, a maniacal smile forming on his lips.

The old man walked toward the showcase and joined hands in his back, pretending to examine the elements on display. Uncertain of what to do the other man joined him.

"So, have you found something to your liking or would you need some counselling?" Lisa had come back with a candle in her right hand.

"Well, to be honest, no. Don't misunderstand me now: those are quality elements but I'm in search of some more… advanced material." The man said, rubbing his chin with his palm.

Lisa simply stared at him for a moment, not sure of the meaning of those words.

"Surely someone with experience in elements knows this archipelago is a fertile ground for highly concentrated elements. I'm looking for those superior beads that reflect through a superior bright light their potential." Was the elder's explanation of his wish.

"Surely you know those are not to be messed with, sir." Lisa's answer would have shocked the average customer but the man's only reaction was a calm and understanding chuckle.

"Long years of studying have taught me not to disrespect elements my dear lady, rest assured of that."

Probably through fatigue and with getting those two to leave as earlier as possible so she could get to bed Lisa led them to the counter before leaving for the storage room.

"Quite skilled with the ladies it seems." The middle-aged commented.

"One day you'll come to realize that a sweet little face isn't everything in life."

"But isn't she a little young for you, or rather aren't you a little old for her?" The brown-haired man mocked, scratching his chin.

"You'll have much time to consider apologizing once you have your hands on enough power to annihilate half of Porre's army… Of course I'll have enough to crush it all to dust."

Interrupting the men's forming dispute, Lisa approached them with a wooden case on top of which was carved a viper clinging on to a tree branch. The young woman opened the box, revealing several brightly shining beads of all six known colors.

Both men had to struggle to keep a smile from forming on their lips. Was the owner even aware of the amount of power on which she was sitting? The elder then considered Lisa for a moment. Surely that at such a young age she did not possess the skills to trigger those elements. However, did she have any idea of the nature of those elements, he wondered.

The white-haired man delicately picked a bead with his thumb and index and raised it to his eyelevel to get a closer look at it.

_…incredible… simply, incredible…_

The middle-aged man was content with simply beholding his elder examined several of the elements. Lisa couldn't help letting out a loud yawn but quickly apologized, hoping those two would be taking their leave soon so she could get some much deserved rest.

Finally, the old man closed the box, holding six elements in his skinny hand. He lifted his head to look at Lisa, appearing rather content with the merchandise.

"What would be your prize for those little wonders, miss?" He asked.

"Hmm, those are pretty rare, so that would be fifty thousand gold pieces, sir." She replied, taking a moment to consider the purchase.

"This seems most fair, however, I do not carry such money on me, so how about a trade?" The elder suggested.

This was rather unusual. Very rarely did someone come to her offering elements in exchange for other elements, but then again very few people had ever mentioned being interested in elements stronger than those on display, the average person simply being unable to use them.

"How about I gave you fifty Heal Plus elements in exchange for those?" He offered, detaching a pouch from his belt and placing it on the counter.

She had to admit the offer was more than reasonable, and what's more those rare elements rarely found a new owner and would most likely sit there for years while she'd have no trouble pawning off the Heal Plus elements.

Lisa opened the small bag and pulled out a handful of shining green beads, all identified as Heal Plusses. The woman placed them back in the pouch and gave the deal some more thought.

"…deal, sir."

"Excellent, I expected no less from a brilliant young lady such as you, miss." The elder closed his hand on his new possession and carefully laid them in his pocket.

"Well, we won't be abusing your sleep time no more, miss. I bid you a good night."

"The same to you, sir. Have a good night." Lisa politely said, unable to keep herself from yawning once more."

Nodding, the elder smiled and turned to leave, followed by his companion who left without a word of goodbye.

"Finally…" Lisa let out a sigh of fatigue and placed the pouch on a shelf: she would bother with putting them on display in the morning.

The blonde locked the entrance to the shop and headed for the backroom where a modest but cozy bed awaited her. She blew off the candle she had previously used and let her body plop on the piece of furniture, not bothering with undressing and quickly falling asleep.

--

Lisa was sound asleep but outside the festival was still going on. Screams could still be heard within the distance from the main square. The city was still illuminated and citizens were making the most of the annual celebration.

"I've always enjoyed festivals, how about we take a tour? After all, once the work is done, there's nothing wrong with having a little fun, is there?" The elder asked, pointing to the square.

"Anyway, I guess we've already won the big prize tonight." The other replied, not minding a foray in the lives of ordinary citizens.

El Nido Sea, another world, 1020 A.D.

Karsh stood against the wooden rail of Viper's flagship alone in the night, the handle of his axe resting against his leg. He stared silently at the sea while his mind was reliving some events he'd rather not. After having gone through several days filled with trials and more to come he'd certainly enjoy some rest on a bed but his mind simply refused to let him drift away from these memories.

"So, we're gonna go risk our lives crossing this boiler so this demon can perform some god-damn wicked ritual? How the fuck could I've let things go this direction?"

Karsh was definitely mad. Mad at himself, mad at Viper, mad at Lynx, mad at the whole world… mad at Riddel. So many things that weighed on his shoulders he had come to a point he didn't know where to direct his anger and mostly, he felt he simply didn't have enough anger and strength to bombard all these foes at a time.

First of all, there was him. On the outside he definitely looked strong and was quite respected among the people of El Nido, in fact anyone foolish enough to dare face him in a one-on one fight would have been called insane. At twenty-seven years old and with Zoah now gone he was one of the last two remaining devas and hell there were times he wished he had vanished with the two others.

Sure enough there were many looking up to him, or at least hoping to one day be able to match his combat abilities. But what did those people really knew about him? Looking back in time Karsh remembered the first time he picked a weapon. His old man had displayed an array of fine-looking blades for him to choose from. Though most acacia dragoons would prefer a sharp sword, young Karsh had examined the sturdy axe and was amazed by the massive weapon. Definitely heavier and more cumbersome than the agile blade the axe was, but the idea of one powerful strike to cut off a limb seemed an interesting idea to him.

Back then he was a happy kid, cherished by his parents, aspiring to attain a high rank among the army just like he father who had such high hopes for him. He was simply too young and innocent to understand the meaning of responsibility. Everyday he picked up the weapon and trained for hours without looking back, only enjoying learning new things everyday. Six years quickly went by, six years spent training to hone his skills with the feeling of becoming a better person each day.

Then came the day he officially became a dragoon. It was then that his shoulders began feeling heavier. Everyday the officials scrutinized him and others to spot those promising warriors. He still got up every morning to train as hard as he could, but he soon began to feel that he was doing all of this to please others first and to accomplish something important had been relegated to an inferior rank. Still he was making gains faster than others and was pleased to see that his efforts were rewarded with skill, strength and higher ranks, but still…

And then came the day he became a deva. That day he was convinced something would happen. All those days he had worked so hard would finally pay off. He would gain something called power, much different from strength. Ever since he was a kid, power had been portrayed as something incredible to him, something to strive for, as it granted freedom, the freedom to take decisions for others. There were only four devas in the army, only four with skill judged sufficient to fulfill the role of leader.

Power was indeed something very different from strength. It meant being accountable for one's personal mistakes as well as others' mistakes. One particular devastating events carved this in his mind forever: the war with Porre. He was in charge of deciding which tactics to use. At first sight Porre was but a small village with an army much smaller than theirs and Guardia's put together, but he knew the ravages these weapons they called firearms could muster.

He spent most nights up until dawn devising ways to stay out of range of the guns while advancing toward Porre to encircle it. His mind was screaming for rest and his body was screaming for action, but the place of a deva was to stay behind the scenes, observe the reactions and receive blame and sometimes praise. So many hours wasted arguing with his three equals, the lives of others at stakes. At this point victory was the only option available, losing the war would mean the rapid expansion of Porre to the point where they would control the mainland and the archipelago.

Eventually they were able to penetrate Porre's last stronghold, Fort Goldcape, on a stormy night. Through the intense storm the fusiliers were unable to aim at the trained dragoons rapidly crossing the devastated plains and reaching the walls where they built covers to protect them while they would pierce the thick walls with rams. Of course they had penetrated the fortress but once inside it would be impossible to operate without being slaughtered by the gunners.

However the rams were but a diversion, the real offensive would strike directly at the enemy's heart. Gunpowder was something very mysterious to anyone not in touch with Porre's military branch, but one night lady Luck smiled to the acacia dragoons in the form of a spy who had infiltrated a research group responsible with the development of gunpowder. All four devas thought exactly of the same thing upon hearing that a spark was all it needed to turn a pile of gunpowder into a fireworks that could be seen from the archipelago.

The powder magazine was the target to aim for. The plan was built to literally blow the fortress away in a huge explosion, but there was a problem: the one to set fire to the powder keg would surely not come back in one piece. Dario had been the first to protest that he had a family to return to once the war was over but Nathan Decormick, the spy who had discovered gunpowder's flaw, insisted that it was his duty to finish what he had started and that the lives of thousands were more important.

_…alea jacta est…_

Finding his way through the dark and pestilent sewers, Decormick made his way into the core of the fortress and locked himself up in the storing room. A grim expression on his face he shot a fireball element into the pitch-black sky to warn the ram operators to retreat immediately. It was too late when the soldiers of Porre understood what was going on. Decormick lit a torch to the poundings of a ram against the steel door guarding the powder magazine.

The flames quickly reacted to the dark powder and the fortress erupted like a volcano. Several explosions resonated through the sky, louder that the thunder. From afar, all dragoons watched solemnly as their comrade's sacrifice was granting them victory. When the sun rose to only to greet a blood bath the dragoons set out to inspect the shambles. Hundreds of bodies lay crippled, shred to pieces, it was a total annihilation. Not a trace of Decormick was left.

A few days later the troops were brought back home. A celebration was to take place in Termina to honour those who had fought in the war. The dragoons were greeted as liberators into the city. As he strutted about riding on a dragon he could clearly single out the visages of those who had lost loved ones in this battle: silent and emotionless through the joyful cheers. The expression on Decormick's widow's face he would never forget as she presented the medal her husband should have received.

_…My husband… where is he…?_

He had brought victory but he was also responsible for the ones who never made it back. He was the one who had to explain why families had to be torn, why children would bury their parents, why cutting a finger was sometimes the only way to save the hand, and mostly why some cheered for him while he was the one who ordered those who had fallen to walk up to the enemy's doom.

Finally came a time for peace, a time for diplomacy. Peace was supposed to be a warrior's ultimate goal, but he wasn't a simple warrior anymore. When all links are shattered, reconstructing them was a process he now dreaded. Everyday was filled with paperwork, meetings with diplomats and the idea that the war was now over or, like he perceived from some messengers, that it had never happened.

_… Nothing?... Nothing happened…? How could they…?_

So many came to sit at Viper's table, smiling and pretending all of this was but a huge misunderstanding, that there was never the intent to harm someone, that they all shared but the desire to achieve peace… that nothing ever happened. Sitting next to them in his finest clothes he smiled with his fist clenched under the table, dreaming of choking them when the time to rest for the night came.

How could they…? How could they show so little respect for all those who lost people dear to them, how could they pretend nothing had happened. Here they all sat, only those who had been pulling the strings all along, of course no one would bother to ask the opinion of those who had barely escaped the grim one's thresher, let alone those who couldn't see a smile –a real smile- on a loved one's visage anymore. And what was he doing? Nothing. Only sitting there and pretending to play along.

_…Why…? Why are you sitting there not saying or doing anything…?_

The answer filled himself with even more hatred. He had come to realize he didn't stand up to them because he feared losing his title. Opposing _peace_ would mean treason and no one guilty of treason could remain a deva. So every night he watched them insult those who were sacrificed in an attempt to gain power only to keep his position as a leader of the army.

Those events it seemed were long past but lately another event brutally stabbed him to remind him that he wasn't someone who deserved to be praised. This event took the absurd form of a ghost hunt. It began with Viper calling him to his office to order him to meet the ghost of a boy who was supposed to be a threat to the Viper family and the protection it granted to the archipelago.

This was ridiculous but being a deva he only went half-heartedly, thinking he'd meet some sort of spy whose butt would be kicked. It was only upon meeting a blue-haired teenager on Cape Howl that he understood something was wrong: Viper sending him to fend kids, this all didn't make any sense. What's more, this kid, helped by a tomboy and a dog defeated him along with two acacia dragoons.

Solt and Peppor shaker certainly weren't the best warriors he had had under his orders but when he looked back at it he couldn't understand how they had managed to beat him. Then it struck him and he had to accept the truth. The freshman deva he had once been wouldn't have had any problems dealing with these brats, but over the years he had softened up.

Or rather he had sunk really low. It was clear that all the night he had spent drinking to forget his past mistakes and the mornings he had spent with a hangover had hindered interfered with his training a lot and he had fallen back a lot on his fighting skills. Hell, he hadn't even brought elements of every color. He had met this fight literally unprepared after a few years of half-ass training and totally underestimating his opponents. The magical formula for losing a battle.

For being unable to take the pressure, for spilling the blood of so many, for scarring the lives of so many, for clinging to his rank and being hungry for power, for being a puppet on strings, for resting on his laurels and for being unable to cope with his past. For all these reasons Karsh couldn't bear looking at his own reflection.

"Still mourning the day you got your ass handed to yourself by a bunch of kids in diapers, tough cookie." Came a female voice from behind.

"At least in my case they were a bunch and not just a pony-tailed tomboy." Karsh replied, slightly annoyed but taking some pride in the answer he had just managed to come up with.

"Looks like you can still fight after all... at least with your big mouth." Marcy was certainly not one who would go down so easily in a fight.

Karsh hissed in annoyance at Marcy's comment, having decided this argument would be pointless.

"The truth is harsh to take, uh?" She pestered him.

"You know I've never seen sharks so hungry for annoying blue innates before, funny, isn't it?" Karsh said, refusing to bother with turning to look at the other deva.

"You know what, we're gonna see more of them and we're both gonna take a beating again."

"You're awesome, never seen anyone so eager to take a dive to the sharks."

"God damn it can't you cut it with your bitter comments for a second. It's not my fault if your so angry at yourself for never having succeeded at getting Riddel in your bed."

Karsh furiously turned around, ready to grab his axe and pre-chew Marcy's body for the sharks. Much to his surprise all he saw then was a dead-calm Marcy who only stared at him, eyes strangely empty of any feeling.

"You know, when I look back at things, It's obvious what happened with us. These past few years we've been budy with paperwork, classy balls, diplomatic meetings, ghost-hunting and behing pissed off at having to deal with all this bullshit. Not much time left to spar and keep the engine warmed up, uh?"

Karsh put his axe back on the deck, his mind forced back to a more relaxed state by the thruthfulness of Marcy's words.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, but it's not as if there was anything we could do about it right now." Karsh turned back to the sea and its constant wavering.

"I disagree..." Karsh slightly turned his head around and saw the female deva unsheathing two short swords.

"What do you think you're doing exactly?" Karsh asked, not perceiving any real threat in Marcy's action.

"Sir Karsj, I hereby challenge you to a sparring match right fucking now. En garde!" She hurled herself at Karsh taking a swing at his left arm.

Karsh quickly side-stepped to avoid the blow but was forced back one more step away from his axe he'd have wanted by an addiotionnal swing.

"Marcy stop it or I'll..."

"You'll what? Stare endlessly at the sea cursing at the whole world? Not really threatening. Hope your next move is a better one or you might stare with a few limbs missing." Karsh was dancing around to dodge the strikes and get closer to his weapon.

_...Damn, did she go insane or what...?_

"Marcy, I'm warning you, I'm serious..."

The swing aimed at his neck came but Karsh quickly got a hold of his weapon and raised it to deflect the attack. Marcy threw five more blows all aimed at the male deva's chest but all missed, only meeting the steel of Karsh's axe. Marcy's next attack was no joke: she rapidly lunged at slashed in an oblique line with the sword in her left hand and immediately spun around to take two more oblique slashes at Karsh's neck, forcing the man to take one more step back.

Having seen all her blows so far having been either blocked or avoided Marcy decided it was time to up the ante. She squeezed one of her short swords, focusing and forcing a good deal of energy into the small beads that were enclosed in the hilt. Several shards of ice were launched at Karsh who had no choice but to drop to the floor to avoid behing impaled.

"She...she's possessed..." Karsh muttered quickly getting back up in fighting stance.

It sure sounded crazy but he had no choice: he had to fight Marcy... with real weapons. Karsh switched his stance to an offensive one, his axe slightly behind him, ready to be forced forward with the momentum of his hips and body, his free hand forward for parrying and feinting.

Karsh bobbed his head to the left to avoid a quick stab and took one strong step forward, swinging his axe in an oblique slash followed by a horizontal one to force Marcy a few steps away from him. However she didn't leave him but a split-second to breathe, taking a swing at his right arm and managing to open a small cut in his arm, the older deva having lost his balance but quickly recovering it.

Karsh carefully danced around his opponent, trying to think of the best way out of this. The first thing that came to his mind was to try to reason with Marcy, but considering the result of his previous attempts and the fact that Marcy was having one of her temporary stubbornness outburst he decided to put logic away. The only way for him to end this other than in a bloodbath was to grab Marcy and pin her to the ground.

Karsh's plan was a risky one as he only had one shot but he was tired and rather pissed off at the moment and didn't want to get bogged down in this fight. Karsh swung his body and his axe forward and, to Marcy's surprise, let go of his weapon at the peak of the movement. Being such a heavy weapon, Karsh's axe carried a lot of force when thrown, forcing Marcy to use both of her small weapons to deflect it. This sudden full-body movement put her off balance for a very short amount of time indeed, but still enough time for the other deva to rush up to her, grab her by the waist and force her to the ground.

Marcy suddenly found herself unable to move, restrained by Karsh's muscular frame. She tried to wriggle out of the dire position she was in but to no avail: Karsh was an expert at wrestling and the only to ever have made it out of one of his holds was Zoah.

"What do you think you're doing?" Karsh yelled, bringing his face inches from Marcy's.

"The correct question is what do you think _you_ are doing, dirty-deva."

Karsh frowned, puzzled by the return of his question. The adrenaline from the fight having dropped Karsh's brain quickly returned to his normal sensorial potential and realized he was most unsure of the nature of the object he was holding in his right hand. The deva slowly lowered his gaze, still refusing to lower his guard, and was taken aback upon seeing that he was grasping one of the soft mounds on Marcy's chest.

Karsh quickly reddened as he let go of his hold to allow both fighters to get back on their feet. Karsh coughed in an awkward manner, only to try to get rid of the embarrassing silence that had cloaked the atmosphere.

"Wow! I'm impressed by the gentleman you've become, blatantly groping me like that without a word of apologize." Marcy teases as she re-sheathed her weapons.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I didn't want to... but what fuck, to hell with that shit, do you even realize what you just did?"

"What _you_ just did was also worthy of mention." Imagine everyone else's reaction when their hear you tried to take me by force." The woman mused aloud.

"Cut the goddamn act, you'd have to be mad to get me to fight you with real weapons on purpose. I wonder what everyone else's reaction would have been should I have reduced the number of your limbs."

"Don't worry about that no more, I think the answer to all of your questions lies in the fact that everyone is used to your constant blunders by now."

"Where's that damn axe...?" Karsh's word were only meant to scare Marcy but to no avail.

"I believe what you're looking for is lodged into that mast over there." Marcy pointed to Karsh's weapon, which had remained locked onto the main mast.

"Sometimes I wonder how you've managed to make it this far without getting that tongue of yours cut off." Karsh wondered aloud, returning his gaze to the sea, with mount Pyre becoming clearer on the horizon.

"Dunno, prolly because of my sword skills and the fact that I'm so attractive... works especially well on pervs like you."

Karsh remained silent, deciding the fight was over and it wasn't worth retaliating.

"Alright then, I guess that's all for tonight. I'm off to showering, try not to have too many wet dreams, I don't think Viper'll enjoy waiting for you while you're recovering from a night with yourself."

"Don't worry about it, girl, I'll try not to think about what you're gonna do in that upcoming shower." Karsh wasn't sure how Marcy had managed to get to him and force a retaliation out if him but he smiled, satisfied by his answer and bracing himself for what he knew was coming.

Karsh slowly begun to turn his head and then rapidly spun on his feet to grab the axe that was flying toward him before it could split his visage in two.

"Hey, no need t ofuss over it, I won't tell anyone about our thryst... Okay, maybe I'll tell some people, but no more than twenty, I promise.

Karsh called out to her but her only response was an obscene gesture, her back turned to him, continuing to walk away.

The deva returned to his silent thinking and then one thing struck him: he did not hate Marcy. Why? He certainly couldn't tell. She was annoying, arrogant, pestering, like a recurring pain in the ass and somehow they never parted angry, even after a fight with real weapons. But the strangest phenomenon was that he wasn't alone on this island, as if the girl had some sort of gift that allowed her to use her unbearable behaviour to soothe anger and resentment.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's notes : Yeah, I know what you're thinking. One day, even life 2 won't be enough to resurrect this.

**Chapter 15 : Does God exist ?**

Water Dragon Isle, home world, 1020 A.D.

A huge mass of green with spots of yellow, blue and grey stood a couple feet away from Serge and his friends as the boat that carried them calmly surfed on the El Nido sea. Serge was putting all his heart in helping the old fisherman who had agreed to guide them to the island paddle while Guile and Leena were admiring the scenery. Kid was the only one who didn't show a glimpse of excitment at the sight of the legendary place.

"Oi, so yur imaginary friend lives on that big rock over there, mate?"

"Yep, that's where you'll apologize for ever doubting me when you get eaten by a dragon." Serge replied, taking more interest in paddling to reach the island sooner than in Kid's sarcasm.

"Oi, dammit, mate, first, have you even stepped foot there before? Second, dragons don't exist."

"First, if you know a better way to cross Mount Pyre, you should have mentionned it a while ago, second, yur gonna get eaten by that dragon." All but Kid burst in laughter at Serge's statement.

"And of course, magi-boy can't make us fly above this lava shithole. Seems like ye can only pull a rabbit out of yur hat when it's absolutely useless." Kid wasn't sure herself why but it seemed she wouldn't admit defeat before boarding the island, even if it meant picking on Guile who hadn't even said a word for the whole trip.

"Your new sweetheart over there sure is a skeptical one, Sergei." Lewis teased.

"I'm not his sweetheart, at least not until he has given up on this ridiculous idea of dragon gods."

Kid's words had an odd ring to them. She had spent most of the time they had been together teasing Serge about how they'd make a perfect couple and now she seemed reluctant to even approach him, afraid she could catch that faith disease.

"However, she might not be such a fool, you know, boy. I've investigated the island myself a couple times already and I've never actually found a hint of the presence of the Water Dragon." Lewis said in a resigned voice.

"Finally, sensible talk. Thank you." Kid raised her arms to the sky, as if praising that dragon god whose existence she denied wich so much fervor.

"I don't doubt about your skills in adventuring, but the young shouldn't stop at their elders' failures." Even Lewis didn't know what to answer.

_...He definitely has changed lately... The Serge I've known was afraid to swim in the sea, saying sharks would eat him even though no sharks have ever been spotted in the archipelago..._

Meanwhile Leena had made her way to Kid and carefully sat down next to the thief.

"Need something cutiepie?" Kid swiftly glanced at the country girl.

"You know, I was thinking about elements, about Serge's death that never actually happened in this other world and about how we travelled across dimensions to save you. No one can explain all those things for sure..."

"'Cept yur friend magi-boy, over there, right. Get to the point, will ya." Kid cut her off.

Leena pondered for a moment if she should actually bother to press this conversation on Kid and decided that she had to get this off her chest.

"The thing is, there are things that may appear unreal at first sight but when you really open your eyes you discover a whole new world of possibilities."

"Oi, as for elements, they're not exactly a mystery, most people can use them, as for Serge, I don't know what happened in your world, but here, right now in front of me, he's alive and kicking... a bit too much to my liking and as for dimension crossing... that's one thing and dragons that's another story." Kid's explanation was disjointed and she was aware of it.

"Actually, I think it's not that you don't want to believe in dragons, but rather you do not want them to exist."

"Big deal, doesn't make much of a difference to me, Lilly."

"...On the contrary, I think there's a big difference between the two."

"Geez, what's with, yur usually not the one to start fights, are you just trying to side with Sergei so ye can take a shortcut to his heart... and eventually to his bed."

"I-what? I don't like Serge at all." Leena protested, face blushing.

"Eh, Serge rapidly turned at Leena's comment."

"I, sorry, Serge, it's not what I meant. I like you, but not in that way." Kid burst in laughter at Leena trying to ger out of her trap.

"All right kids, recess is over, it's actually time to check if this dragon exists or not" Guile then expertly jumped out of the the wooden boat to land on the island.

Serge was next to leave the boat. Upon landing he turned and offered a hand to Leena who timidly accepted it, still embarrassed by her earlier statement about her male friend. Serge then offered his hand to Kid, but the thief slapped it away with her own, meaning she was no damsel in distress and was able to jump out of a boat.

"No need to play knight in his shining armor, mate, rather try to think of a way to cross Mount Pyre, 'cuz getting the help of an imaginary dragon is not a solution." Serge sighed at Kid's word, discouraged by such pessimism.

"Alright, I'll be back to pick you up in the morning. Good luck!" Both Serge and Lewis nodded in agreement before the fisherman began rowing his boat away from the isle.

Serge's group turned around to observe their surroundings. It definitely was a unique place. Titan-sized trees rose to the sky and appeared to form a ceiling to protect the frail sprouts that emerged from the ground while letting just enough light to the ground for them to grow and eventually replace them as guardians. Massive formations of bright grey rocks that seemed to glow as if covered by thousands of tiny diamonds glistened under the sunlight. Crystal-clear water had erroded those rocks to form falls and channels in order to reach what no one could say for sure was a lake or a pond: there was clearly current and yet large-sized water lily leaves were growing on the surface.

"Well, two options: We directly cross that pond or we go around it by climbing on those rocks."

Brushing his hand against the rocks Guile found them incredibly slippery, as if water formed uniformly on the surface.

"Climbing those will prove rather difficult, I daresay."

"Looks like we're left with option one." Serge completed Guile's idea.

It was Leena's turn to express her reluctance toward the mean of getting past the pond by shaking her head in denial.

"I don't think so, I am not diving into that thing and swimming to the other side with my dress."

"Why keep it on, there are two pairs of watchful eyes who are expecting nothing of you but to take it off." Kid said, flashing Guile and Sege a teaseful grin.

Serge then approached Guile and whispered something to him, pointing at something on the pond.

"You sure about this? Don't tell me you're not interested in Kid's idea. For once we could agree on something." Serge raised a brow, convinced Guile was definitely too old for Leena.

"Alright, alright...party-pooper." Guile chuckled and approached the pond with a raised wand.

The magician focused and a black bead lost its glow. The element then released its gravitational energy, slowly dragging one of the huge leaves to the coast.

"Wow, magi-boy once again you got us out of a major jam." Kid said in a sarcastic tone.

"And as for you mate, looks like you won't be seeing much of a show today. I told ya, women aren't interested in brains, so next time, just keep yur brilliant ideas far from magi-boy."

"Strange how picking on me can pull you out of your dragon misery, isn't it?"

"Don't worry, mate today's not the day some big lizard will keep me from making fun of others." With this Kid got on the leaf and the group was ready to cross.

Serge and Leena occupied the safest spot at the center of the leaf, ready for the push of Guile's next element while Kid was nonchalantly staring at the pond.

"Ready?"

"Oi, ya, ya, just do it, lizard can't wait for us now." Kid said, taking no interest in Guile's next action since some shimmering object resting on the bottom of the pond had caught her eye.

"Here we go!" Guile released another black element.

Expecting another weak element, Kid was caught off guard as a violent push shook her off balance. Kid desperately tried to grasp onto something but failed to reach Serge's arm was sent into the water. The other three quickly reached the edge of the leaf only to see Kid's body swimming toward the bottom of the lake on its own. She seemed to fiddle with something before resurfacing only to spurt a large jet of water from her mouth directly into her friends.

She didn't wait for them to soak themselves dry and helped herself back on the leaf, a triumphant expression on her face. She raised a clenched fist above her head, letting out a cheerful scream. Her companions stared at her with a puzzled look, the idea of sending her back into the water crossing all three minds. Kid then returned her look to them, as if finally realizing they had been there the whole time.

"Why don't you tell us what sort of treasure you found so we can just send you back down." Guile offered.

"Oi, oi, don't take it like that, I didn't actually mean to do it, but, oi, look what I found. There are elements in that pond, tons of 'em. I'm rich! Richer than anynody could dream of!" Kid opened her hand, proudly displaying her find.

"Yeah, these are elements, but good luck on trying to sell them though." Guile warned.

"What was that?" Kid furiously clenched her fist again, infuriated by Guile's comment.

"Can't you see, these elements aren't fully formed yet. They're... growing elements."

Serge, Kid and Leena exchanged confused looks, as if begging for an explanation.

"This is just too bad for Kid's business, but don't you realize what this means? If there are growing elements, it means that this pond is actually a birthing pool. There must be an awesome source of energy on this island that is giving birth to these elements."

"Oi, say, if they're still maturing, how much time do you think it'll take before one can use them?" Kid asked, not sure if she actually wanted to hear the answer.

"Oh, I'd say, no more than a few thousand years. The energy they radiate is quite weak."

Disapointed, Kid placed the elements in her pocket nonetheless. Surely enough they would be of no use in battle, but still she had never came across incomplete elements. In a way, that made them special to her eyes.

The giant leaf had now managed to get the group to the other side of the pond and the way to the core of the isle was open. It was an uneven trail bordered by the same sharp and slippery silver-colored rocks that protected the pond. Massive trees were growing here and there among the rocks, as if they had pierced a hole through them ro reach the sunlight. Infuriated, Kid swatted like mad at a small cloud of mosquitoes that had designed her as its next meal.

"Oi, what's yer bloody problem, fuckers. Why don't ye pick on magi-boy? I know he's not really attractive to any eye, but at least I'd be ridden of you...and him." She was even stabbing at the ridiculously small targets, missing on every attempt.

"Trying to pull me under the carriage with you? Can't say I approve." Guile offered, not intimidated by the insects or Kid's threat.

"I'm not trying to pull you with me, I'm trying to pull you under so I can get away while yur stuck under the carriage."

"Not exactly what I'd call heroic words, lass."

"Well, screw you, my knight in a not-so-shining armor."

"Urggh!" Kid had enough and decided to unleash a fireball element to dissipate the cloud, managing to fry most of her pursuers and scaring the others away.

Serge, Guile and Leena were obviously amused by Kid's troubles but their laughter was suddenly silenced by Guile's extended arm that blocked their way. The magician had come to a halt and was focusing his senses on his environment.

"What is it?" Leena asked, slightly worried.

"Do you hear it?"

"What?" She replied.

"That noise, it's like a ferocious roar."

"If yer talking about the dragon, then I can assure you it's all due to the bugs in yer head, magi-boy."

Looking at the other two, Guile understood that he was the only one who could hear the noise due to his senses having been honed by his ascetic training with elements.

"Alright, then, let's move on, but if you ever notice something strange, like someone or something following us, be extremeful careful of where you step, but do not stop walking, you understand? They'd know we have spotted them."

As they progressed toward the center it was becoming clearer that Guile's mind was perfectly fine, there was something... or someone that produced this roaring sound. A few additional minutes of walking led the group to the source of the noise: a spectacular waterfall. The path had come to an end as a steep cliff led to a lake several feet below them. On the other side of the lake was the waterfall that originated from the tall rocky mountain that bordered the lake.

"Oi, and I thought all dragons were red or black. This one's blue, made of water and isn't even a dragon at all." Kid mocked.

Guile paid no attention at all to Kid's comment and kept staring at the waterfall as if mesmerized by all this water that appeared to come falling down from the sky.

"You are absolutely right, girl."

"Now that's better." Kid hadn't finished her sentence, but Guile's next words put an abrupt end to it.

"This is quite unconventional for a waterfall. There's a cave hidden behind all this water."

"Magi-boy...I'll make sure that dragon eats you alive, even if it doesn't exist and I have to shove you through its teeth."

"Don't worry, there's a way to get across this lake."

Kid then noticed how Guile was standing inches from the edge, with his back turned to her and this definitely called for a move. Kid defiantly walked forward, but was stopped by Serge a few seconds before she could unleash her anger on Guile.

"Hey, are you nuts? You wanna kill him or what?"

"Don't worry, I'm just gonna drown him." Kid was desperately trying to break free of Serge's grip.

Seeing how dangerous a free Kid would be right now, Leena quickly went to assist Serge on holding her back until the fire inside her had stopped burning. Guile was staring coldly at the whole scene, as Kid was trying to evade her friends to unleash her anger on Guile while the other two were fighting a losing battle against Kid's frenzy. However, Guile wasn't only staring, he was using all his brain to calculate, trying to understand Kid's reaction.

It was true, she wasn't exactly fond of him and she appeared not to believe in dragons, but she had never tried to murder him before. Something was definitely wrong. What was she trying to hide from them? Guile then casually turned his back to them and raised his wand.

"Let her go." He commanded.

"What?" They both exclaimed, wondering if the magician was suicidal, but during the brief instant their minds had focused on something else than holding Kid back, the thief had escaped and was charging toward the wizard.

Two green beads locked in Guile's wand lost their glow and unleashed their effect. A thick creeper appeared out of this air and anchored onto a large pillar of rock on their side of the lake. The other extremity was hurled across the lake and through the waterfall into the cave. It then tightened, signaling it had grasped onto something solid.

The other element formed a thinner creeper that encircled Kid at the waist, capturing her hands behind her back and seizing her at the feet, allowing her walk but at a speed that would allow no attack or escape. The thin creeper then attached itself to the larger one and Guile grabbed the helpless girl and pushed her over the edge so she would slide to safety and reach the cave.

"Don't worry, it won't let her escape ... and the creeper will easily support your weight." Guile reassured them before grasping the creeper to slide to the other side, followed by Serge and Leena.

Upon releasing his grip on the plant, Serge was struck with awe. The walls of the cave were glowing in the dark, all of them were covered with what appeared to be maturing elements. Serge then remembered about the tied up Kid and rapidly spotted her being helped to her feet by Guile.

With her soaked clothes that gripped onto her skin, bringing to attention her curves, her clothing that left little to the imagination and Guile's latest element that had left her as vulnarable as a kitten, Kid was now the materialized fantasy of many a man.

Even though he was somewhat fighting it, Serge was eyeing her and Kid was aware of it.

"Oi, will ye stop gawking at me like that, you freaky, bondage-obsessed perv!"

Serge took a step backward as if hit by an element in reaction to Kid's words.

"And you, magi-boy, if I ever free myself, you are so gonna..."

Unlike Serge, Guile sharply spun on his feet to face Kid and went to place his face inches to hers so fast the thief didn't know what had happened. The wizard's eyes then turned a bright red as he stared at her with much authority. His voice also evolved to ring as loud as that of a titan.

"No, you, listen. So far, we've all put up with your constant bitching, whining, complaining. Now I'm fed up to the teeth with your attitude. If you have no desire to know the truth, then leave and look for whatever you're seeking on your own!" Like the breath of a dragon, Guile's breath dried Kid's clothes by the time his speech was over.

Staggered by Guile's display of magical power, Kid only stared straight ahead, not sure if it was Guile that had spoken or the water dragon, angered by her unfaithfulness. Guile then removed the seal that held Kid captive and the creeper fell to the ground to quickly turn to ashes.

The magician then turned around to confront the remotest depths on the island. He was followed by Leena and Serge who decided not messing up with Guile was definitely a wise decision. It took a while for Kid's mind to recover from the shock the wizard had mustered. Eventually she began walking toward the rest of the group, focusing on her mouth, careful not to let any word that might offend Guile slip out.

A few minutes later the tunnel came to an end, offering Serge's group an entrance into a vast enclosed space, except for the ceiling, which was open to let the sunlight reflect on the large pool that covered most of the room. The silver-colored rocks that covered the rest of the island had been replaced by dark gray ones covered with tiny crystals that appeared to be maturing elements. These young sources of energy were shining in the sunlight.

Right in front of Serge was a set of rock stairs that led to a platform. Serge was the first to reach the platform, only to be disappointed by this setting. The whole place appeared to be deserted. The teenager stared emptily at the water pool which was, unsurprisingly, filled with forming elements.

"Maybe dragons were just a legend after all..." Leena said, uncertain if this would actually Cheer up Serge.

Guile was the last to reach the platform. Taking his time to look around he eventually stepped to the very edge of it and stopped to stare at the opening in the ceiling.

"It's daytime, both for the outside and the underworld..." He mumbled to himself.

"_Raszismius, eminum lucifactus, meim fer, omond tulem, sidreas amunsses, Ayergomoth."_ The three teenagers didn't understand a thing of Guile's loudly spoken words from a language that was unknown to them.

At first Guile's sentence didn't seem to have much effect but then the whole island was shaken by a powerful tremor. A loud roar then echoed from under the water, resulting in a fierce wave. A dark form appeared in the center of the pool, quickly increasing in size, revealing whatever had materialized was approaching from the surface.

The group then had to shield themselves from much water that came to splash them. Serge took a moment to shake some of it away and upon reopening his eyes, he quickly rubbed them and blinked several times to make all the water the had blurred his sight was gone since the image they offered him was leading him to believe he was victim of an hallucination of some sort.

Standing mere feet from him was the largest animal he had ever beheld, providing what had just emerged from the water was actually an animal.

Majestically displaying a muscular body covered by thick blue scales, the creature, which was currently gracefully swimming, towered a good twenty feet above the four wanderers. The guardian of the pool scrutinized its guests through bright, pupilless and irisless yellow eyes topped by extravagant, green and yellow, curly brows. On top of his massive body were two large green, red and yellow-colored dorsal fins that merged slightly above its eyes. Two long white barbels hung from its chin. Its flat-snouted head bore small nostrils, indicating this animal was a reptile and not a fish. A clear line separated the reptile's belly, which was covered with pale blue scales, from its back, covered by dark blue scales. Thick pale lips outlined the frontier between the gigantic reptile's jaws.

Slowly but elegantly maneuvering, the beast came out of the water to lie next to the altar so its head was level with Serge's. It rested its large left paw, which ended in a delicate fin, on its right one and slighty cocked its head to the side, as if prompting Serge to address him.

"A-Are you... the water dragon?" Serge immediately saw his question as futile and perhaps insulting, but the reptile appeared to take no offense to it and only nodded to confirm his identity.

..._Welcome, Son of Man... _

Serge heard the dragon's words but took a moment to realize that its lips hadn't moved at all: the god was simply reading his mind and communicating with him through telepathy.

_...It has been aeons since one of your kind last wandered into my domain..._

_ ...I-I need to ask of you if..._

_ ...You need not speek any further, I know what you seek here..._

_ ...You..._

_ ...A way into Mount Pyre is what you need... Following into the devil's footsepts shall prove a journey through hell..._

Serge nervously chuckled at the dragon's pun.

_...My brother, the fire dragon, rules upon the oceans of magma and denies all access into the fortress of the ancient dragonians..._

_ ...But still, take this with you, my breath can freeze even the heart of a volcano..._

The king of all oceans and seas then took a deep breath and exhaled a chilling blast of air which solidified into an eternal icile. The dragon then dove a paw into the water and pulled out a leaf from a plant that grew underneath the surface and wrapped the icicle with it.

_...Here, fear not, the lacilia leaf will prevent you from drowning in to an eternal frozen slumber..._

Serge slowly extended his arm to grab the dragon's gift. The leaf turned out cold but not glacial, so Serge carefully slipped it in his backpack and returned his gaze to the reptile.

"I, uh, thanks a lot, lord dragon, and sorry for disturbing you..." Having absolutely no idea what was proper etiquette when thanking a dragon god, Serge merely mumbled the first thing that would have made sense in a human-to-human conversation.

The dragon nodded in welcome.

_...Going after the devil is quite a heavy burden for such young and frail shoulders, I aplogize for being unable to further help you, but there is much to be taken care of in the aquatic world..._

_ ...One last thing, your friend over here... she is quite talented I sense... And a blue-innate... Maybe...Here take this with you... I doubt you will be able to realize the nature of my subordinate as of now, but develop your spirit, maiden, and you shall be able to change mankind's destiny one day... Farewell, now, Son of Man..._

The dragon slowly crawled back into the water before disappearing, leaving echoing waves at the surface of the pool. Under the eyes of the companions the waves then reversed what is known as the logical direction determined by physics: the waves began travelling toward the epicenter. A large element whose brightness made Kid's previously found treasure looks like junk rose from the water to fly towards Leena.

The maiden formed a cup with her hands to receive the dragon's gift. Leena was mesmerized by the treasure she had obtained. The orb radiated constant energy, giving a glimpse of the power contained in it, waiting to be unleashed to wreck havoc on the path of whoever was foolish enough to stand against the owner of this highly advanced element.

A tissue veil then fell on the element, diminishing its glow, but refusing to be hidden from thr world by such a simple barrier. Snapping out of her trance, Leena blinked, slowly turning her gaze to the side to see Guile's extended hand, indicating he was the one who had broken the spell.

"You should put it away for now."

"Uh, right" Leena carefully wrapped her present in the piece of cloth and reached over her shoulder to place it in her backpack.

"Well, I wasn't sure how this would turn out, but since none of us was devoured, I think I can assert that this diplomatic event was a success... We even obtained a key to crossing the boiler. Let's roll!" Guile's cheerful mode spread to Serge and Leena, but Kid merely followed them, eyes glued to the ground, silent as a tombstone.

"Yeah, and, by the way, what was that language you spoke to summon him earlir." Serge asked.

"That was dragonian. I have read that the dragonians were the first inhabitants of this archipelago and built Fort Dragonia. Their lore also states they were the dragon gods' children, but this part appears rather self-conceited." The magician explained.

"But the dragon understood those words you spoke in dragonian, didn't he?" Leena objected.

"I guess he did, but then again he also understands the human language, doesn't he?" Guile retorted.

"...Yeah..."

"Anyway, the point is we should have let you do the talking, maybe he'd have given us even more great elements." Serge was quick to imagine his weapon decorated with tens of mighty, brightly shining elements of all colors.

"You shouldn't be too quick to boast the good nature of those creatures, young one. He did prove rather generous and sympathetic to our case but I would deem it unwise to think of them as a walking wallet like you do with your parents." Guile warned.

"Hey, watch who you're calling a spoiled kid, I'm doing my share to help mom get by."

"So you tie your own shoes and do your bed? I'm impressed." The wizard teased.

"Sometimes I even put the jam on my toasts by myself." Serge played along.

"Wow, kids sure grow fast, but you shouldn't be over-confident. It's true we were able to somewhat _befriend _him, but the water dragon is refered as the kindest of the six and ironically enough the fire dragon lives for nothing but war and destruction. Watch your step!"

Guile's comment was quick to get a reaction from Serge. The teenager stopped dead in his tracks with his eyes wide open.

"I sure hope we don't accidentaly wake him up. He probably wouldn't appreciate it."

"Don't worry about that, it is believed to never sleep. Considering we'll be walking through his domain, I'd say we're pretty much certain to meet him, but don't worry, we won't be waking him up, so he'll probably just cut us in slices and pile us up in a sandwich...Never thought you'd end up lying sandwiched between Kid and Leena? Life's full of opportunities, isn't it?" Guile teased.

"How about you?"

"He'd figure right away I'll cause food-poisoning and let me go."

"How do you always manage to get away with everything so easily?"

"Well, some say I got the devil's luck, but my theory is that I've come to understand that when facing an opponent who is stronger than you are, escaping means living to fight another day, so..."

"You've spent hours training to disappear in a hat?"

"Just disappearing... It can be quite efficient"

Viper manor, another world, 1020 A.D.

Riddel silently walked to her large bed, still grasping her mother's staff, her visage empty of expression, or rather it was impregnated with so many emotions they had merged into an endless void. She slowly sat on the cozy mattress and let her body fall to rest on her side with her mother's artifact lying next to her. Several strands of hair blocked her vision but her mind didn't even acknowledge their existence right now.

It had began a long time ago, when her mother departed. Her world had been shaken violently, so fiercely it had started to drop away. Piece by piece, stone by stone, room by room, soon the castle would crumble. She had done all she could to hold the structure together, but too many bricks had eluded her. The walls were now too fragile to support their own weight and were now about to give way.

Following her mother, lord Garai died, Radius left forever to live a hermit's life, Zappa wouldn't even get his head out of his blast-furnace, his obsession for weapons hiding a deep disappointment in the turn of events, Dario disappeared without a trace, Karsh had turned into a boiling volcano, now spreading anger and violence wherever he went, tortured by some unknown guilt, Glenn was lost trying to live up to his father and brother's standard and her father had sold his soul to the devil and had become his puppet in a nameless scheme.

The viper represented on her staff still showed no sign of weakness, teeth still threateningly displayed, ready to land a venomous strike at any moment, but Riddel had lost her will to fight, her hand had released the staff and came to rest on her pillow. Her breathing was constant yet she feared it could stop at any moment now.

* * *

Glenn's feet were leading him to a dreadful destination: at least, he deemed it a dreadful destination, considering what the outcome of the upcoming meeting would be. The sound of his boots against the floor echoed loudly in the empty halls of Viper manor, but his mind was absorbed by the event that would soon follow.

His decision was reckless for the least, but he wouldn't back off now. He had ran away for so long and it had come to the point where hiding was futile: his only option was to fight back. He definitely was afraid he was going to die in a couple days but the next few minutes would prove, he was convinced, by far the most painful moment of his ascension to the other world.

He was certainly not proprly prepared for this moment, but time was running out. He had to take care of this now. The young dragoon was lost in his thoughts, desperately trying to work a way out of this with minimal casualties, but no appropriate tactic would come to his mind.

This is it. Glenn stopped at the wooden door marked with a golden viper and remained motionless for a moment. Slowly, he raised a fist and his knuckles produced a sound when colliding with the door. He had just asked for his death sentence.

As if to make sure she had woken up from her nightmare, but only for a short period of time, Riddel extended a confused hand. Her mind didn't exactly gave an answer as to the purpose of this movement, maybe only to force her to acknowledge the existence of the sound she had just heard. She carefully sat up, her mind still not made about wether she should ignore this late-night intruder.

Viper's daughter allowed herself to be carried to the door and turned the knob, but pausing before pulling the door open. When her guest appeared, Riddel's mind was instantly filled with questions, snapping out of its torpor.

"Glenn? Why are you here so late?"

The warrior gathered all the courage he could muster and stared at Riddel's soft eyes. He feared the impact of his words would be irreversible but he couldn't avoid this anymore.

"Miss Riddel...I came...to apologize..." These simple words were a torture so he stopped, hoping the time she used to reply would allow him to regain his strength and continue.

"Apologize? For what? Why such a short question, Glenn cursed how she left him so little time to forge an answer.

"For sure, you will not believe me, but I know how you're feeling having lost so many people close to you, and I came to apologize because I will be taking another person away from you" At a lost for words, Riddel only stared back at Glenn, hoping he would explain the meaning of this sentence.

"Miss Riddel, I can no longer endure this. Ever since my brother left, I have tried to live up to him while watching my hopes shatter because of this fiend. I am not my brother and therefore do not stand a chance against him, but I am leaving to go after Lynx. This fight will surely result in my death, meaning you will not see me again. I did not want a rescue team to carry the bad news to you, so that is why I came to speak to you....Farewell, miss Riddel." Glenn's throat was completely tied up in a knot and his gaze fell the the side, unable to continue.

Glenn was feeling literally crushed by Riddel's devastated gaze and his body appeared to weight a ton as he painfully began to walk away from her, teeth gritted in anger and sorrow.

"Glenn..." Glenn's mind was crushed and his body halted, unable to move on.

"If you are leaving...Take me with you." Both stood still, refusing to believe the words that had just heard.

Glenn slowly turned back to look at the young woman.

"Miss Riddel...I absolutely can't do that. Your father, and everyone, what would they say?"

"My father...Everyone... They are now being cast into the depths of hell by that demon. What would they say if I just remained here so I make sure not to get hurt?"

"Please, miss Riddel, it's incredibly hard for me to only bear the weight of the world right now, I couldn't do with your death resting on my conscience." Riddel's gaze lowered to the ground, forcing Glenn's heart to sink even further down.

"So you too believe watching as your world is reduced to nothingness hurts less if you're a fine noble lady. As long as I stay locked in my room away from harm it will be alright, won't it?" Riddel spoke as she stared at the red carpet that covered the floor.

Glenn had expected a number of outcomes for this conversation, but this was definitely one he hadn't seen coming. He simply stood here, unable to utter a sound.

"Miss Riddel... How would you react to lose your life right after having seen me perish to the hands of that fiend."

"It will happen... Only I will not agonize in this empty manor forever, waiting for death to finally claim me."

"Dying means you will never see brighter days, Miss Riddel."

"How could they ever come while this demi-human is still alive?"

"...I am not certain how, but life will find a way... It can't be the end, it simply can't be. Somehow, someone will manage to thwart Lynx's plan and peace will be restored. I want you to live to see those days, not waste your life on a far away battlefield in a hopeless fight."

"Glenn, my life would be a waste if I had to live the rest of it without any of you, staring through a window, wondering what would have happened if I had tried to do something."

Glenn sighed heavily, his mind about to rupture, torn between his desire to rescue Riddel from the prison Viper manor had become and allow her to live to see the future. He brought a hand to shield his eyes, groaning in fatigue.

"Miss Riddel, if I ever were to bring you along, you'd have to promise me one thing. Do not risk your life attempting to save mine."

The silence that followed seemed to last an eternity to the both of them.

"I will if you promise not to risk yours trying to save mine." Riddel looked up to Glenn's eyes.

"Alright, then. We need to leave now, the night will provide us with a good cover." She had won and Glenn knew when to admit defeat, more arguing would prove useless here.

"Well, then, just wait here while I change."

Glenn was quite confused at Riddel's statement. These words appeared rather out of place while talking about saving the world, even for a noble.

"But..."

"Glenn, I can't go in a nightgown."

Glenn then realized he had been so focused on their conversation he had been completely oblivious of the fact that Riddel had been wearing nothing but a white silk nightgown the whole time. Barefly covering the woman's delicate shoulders the garment even revealed a nice portion of her firm breasts. Glenn's instinct commanded him to stare for a second, causing Riddel to look to the side in embarrassment, lightly grasping her gown with her right hand.

Realizing what he was doing, Glenn was quick to blush profusely. He immediately turned to the side, covering his eyes with his left hand, forcing himself to lose sight of Riddel's rather indecent appearance.

"I-I'll wait here while you proceed, miss Riddel." Glenn's voice was still shaking from embarassment at his own behavior.

Riddel innocently giggled at herself before closing the door, allowing Glenn to stop protecting himself from his primary desires. Glenn sighed heavily once more, wondering if all of this wasn't but a consequence of the blow to the head he had sustained in his morning sparring.

Violently shaking his head from left to right in hope of regaining part of his sanity the young man leaned on the wall with his left hand, taking several deep breaths to calm himself. Once adrenaline had left to allow his thoughts to revert to their normal state, Glenn was tempted to escape right now, leaving Riddel safe Viper manor.

He was then reminded of his friend's earlier words and simply couldn't bring himself to leave her to slowly and painfully decline, locked up in this prison while the world would crumble outside.

Glenn had his back to the wall when he heard the door to Riddel's room open again. He trailed to the opening to meet a side of Riddel he hadn't seen in ages. Before him stood a woman ready to stand for what she believed in. She had traded her gown for dark pants and a white shirt covered by a vest that matched her pants. Light boots perfectly fit for dirt trails protected her feet and her long hair had been tied in a braid she had hidden under her vest. Both of her hands were wrapped on the shaft of her mother's staff, ready to teach a lesson on the behavior to display while in front of a lady to whoever would interfere with her mission.

"Shall we go?" She asked, excited at the idea of finally leaving her confinement.

"I was planning on climbing down the creepers on the south wall and escaping through the forest using the secret passage in the old well." Glenn suggested.

"The old well? You mean this passage hasn't been sealed yet?" Riddel was quite glad to learn that a joy of her childhood had been preserved.

"Your father had been planning on dealing with it, but since he's busy ever since, he lost sight of the potential risk this passage represents."

"But Glenn, we'll be able to reach the forest, but then what? How are we going to reach my dad, or Lynx, or any of them? Fort Dragonia is surrounded by lava lakes and volcanoes."

"For sure it will be extremely hazardous, but I've done some research and learned that there exists a passage that grants access to the fortress without crossing any flows of lava. Very few people know of it since its entrance is a cave located south-east of the forest."

Riddel nodded, trying to imagine what this place could acutally look like.

"It will soon be dusk, wait for me by the window that's just below the bridge to the library. I'll be back shortly with my luggage. I suggest you also pack some food and a sleeping bag."

"I will do that." Riddel watched as Glenn left for the basement where he had placed the material needed for the expedition.

In normal times, escaping from the manor like this would have proved very difficult, but with a large part of the army away, Riddel knew it was very possible for her to reach the window and then the well in order to reach the forest.

The woman headed back for her room to gather the things she would be needing. She first selected a large backpack and sent it flying to her bed before ridding her old sleeping bag of several objects that prevented it from being pulled out of the closet. Riddel gently squeezed the thick layers of fabric, remembering the last time she had used it on a camping trip with her father and a few close friends of him a few years ago. Considering the recent turn of events she found it hard to believe she would actually need it again soon.

Viper's daughter considered bringing along spare clothes but remembered this was no vacation trip and these would only slow them down. Rummaging through her drawers she found a memento of her mother she had been entrusted with. She paused to observe the shining pendant. It was a silver oval crossed by a straight segment. A golden viper was curling up on the straight segment. The viper, emblem of her family and sworn protector of its descendants. How sorely ironic that a relative of this _guardian_ was responsible for the death of her mother.

Riddel slowly slid two fingers under the delicate golden chain that was linked to the jewelry. She lifted the object and brought it to eye-level to further gaze at it. Viper's daughter grasped a deep blue piece of velvet to wrap the memento and rested it in her pocket.

Water Dragon Isle, home world, 1020 A.D.

After a long backtrack the group had reached the water-lilly pond as the sun was beginning to sink toward the sea. All four of them appeared quite exhausted and were eager to hit the sack before returning to Opassa beach and heading for Mount Pyre. They all gladly took a seat on the ground after freeing their shoulders from a backpack whose weight they swore increased as the day progressed and regained its originial mass over the night.

"Well, since we're stuck here for the night, let's make ourselves comfortable." Serge proclaimed, placing his swallow next to him.

Noticing several fine stone lying around Leena started to gather them to build a natural fireplace to provide them with warmth during the night.

"I'll go take a look around for dry wood." Guile said, leaving the group

"Try not to die while I'm away cause I won't be able to resurrect you." He joked, not turning his head to face his companions.

"Looks like I'm appointed with getting something to fill up our stomachs... Alright, I'll try to get some fish. The alpha male shall provide with food and shelter for the clan." He said, grabbing his swallow to help himself up.

"If you can bring something edible I might consider marrying you." Leena said, not taking her eyes from the circle she was carefully drawing with the stones.

Serge chuckled, glad the fatigue hadn't killed the country girl's sense of humor, but his smile faded when he took a look at Kid. The thief was quietly sitting, one foot crossed over the other, resting her weight on her hands which were flat on the ground behind her back, still staring emptily at the ground. The teenager sighed, seriously starting to wonder if Guile's spell could have done some permanent harm to his friend.

Bitterly pressing his lips together Serge turned to the ocean, hoping he would be quick to fetch something since he didn't know how long his stomach would last before digesting itself. Reaching the beach he removed his shoes and socks and rolled up his pants. The boy entered the salted water and spotted what could easily become a delicious meal.

Done with the setting, Leena sat to rest for a while. The temperature having began to drop, Leena took a deep breath of cool air and felt a good deal of the fatigue pressing on her body wash up. With a re-energized mind and body Leena's worries fled away for a while, leaving her free of enjoying the sunset and evening. Turning to Kid, Leena felt obliged to say something to cheer her up.

"You know, if there's something that's bothering you, you don't have to keep it to yourself like this. I'm sure you'll feel better after taking that weight off of your shoulders..." Seeing no reaction from Kid, Leena grew slightly nervous and bit her lip, not certain if pressing on this conversation would make the situation worse.

"That Guile, he surely didn't go easy on you. I'll go talk to him so he apologizes if you want." Leena said, trying to sound a little amusing, but those words got no reaction from Kid either.

Remembering how Kid was the perfect Tom-boy and used to fight all by herself, Leena felt quite stupid offering to protect her from Guile and decided it was probably better if she stopped this talk right now.

Beginning to feel the silence was growing pretty awkward, Leena started to look around for something to fill her mind but found the island to offer little stimulation for the brain.

"I-I'll go take a look around to see if everything's going well for the guys." Leena said, trying not to sound too happy at the idea of abandonning Kid to her melancholy.

Wandering by the pool by herself for a while Leena heard footsteps, indicating Guile wasn't far from her. Traveling further toward the source of the noise Leena spotted the magician who had his arms full with branches he had picked.

"You know, it's not that I mind being alone with you, but this idea is bound to get the other two's imagination firing up. You sure you wanna face the consequences when we go back?" The wizard spoke, proving he was aware of Leena's presence even without turning to look at her.

"Their imagination seems at rest for now, so if you don't mind I'd like to have a talk with you in private." Leena scolded, hands on her hips.

"In private? Now you're getting my imagination fired up." Guile continued, walking toward her and their encampment.

"Now you quit the old pervert act, this is quite serious." Leena stood still, denying him return.

"We're not already talking about getting married, are we?" He said, trying to pierce through her shield of seriousness.

Leena didn't budge, indicating Guile's attempt at avoiding the discussion had failed. Admitting defeat, the magician lowered his hips to sit on a dead trunk and sighed before placing the dry wood close to him. Leena came to sit down, hopeful she would get the answers she needed.

"Alright, first I know you're dying to do it, so why don't you just go ahead and do it?" She said, crossing her hands as if to protect herself from the answer she dreaded she would receive.

"I thought we had agreed on a no making out challenge." Guile said, making no effort to sound funny but still obviously kidding.

"Now, you stop feigning ignorance on me, I'm talking about the element I got from the water dragon."

"What did you want to tell me about it?"

"You're really taking me for an idiot aren't you?"

Both silently looked at each other, Guile trying to postpone his answer as much as possible, Leena starting to feel anger build up inside.

"Alright, when Kid found the deluge element, you almost tried to take it from her afraid she'd end up killing someone. Here I get one that's probably a hundred times more powerful and you don't utter a word, so spill the beans, what do you think about all this?"

Guile took a moment to answer, taking his time to decide on what was the most apprpriate way to express his thoughts.

"Well, to be honest..." He paused for a second.

"I just don't know what to think."

"What?" Leena frowned incredulously.

"I really don't know what to think. That element is classified.... I'd say, level seven, a summon element that is and it's definitely able to wipe out this island, but..."

"But?" She cut him off.

"But, no offense, but it will a cold day in hell before you can use it no matter if you're a blue innate or not.

"What about the dragon's words? He said he was giving it to me because I was talented and..." Leena wasn't quite sure what the dragon's exact words were anymore.

"You're pretty good with elements, that's true, but even I have a long way to go until I can trigger this bomb."

"That doesn't make sense at all. Why did he give it to me then?" Leena asked, definitely hoping the magician would provide her with an answer.

"That's what I have been trying to figure out and quite frankly, I just can't come up with an answer to this." Guile sighed, angered at his inability to understand the dragon's gift.

"How about its power? Isn't it dangerous for me to simply carry this around?" Leena was a little afraid the element might get her in trouble.

"Well, first of all, there's no way you can trigger it, so no worries about depleting yourself to death and ravaging part of the archipelago. However, I can't say nobody will try to steal it from you to make money out of it, but as long as you lie low about it, you should be out of the average collector's bingo book.

"Why on earth would he give me an element no one can even trigger?" Leena instinctively reworded her question even though the magician had already given her an answer.

"Actually, there is someone that I believe should be able to use that element."

"Are you talking about that master you once studied under?"

"Wow! So you did pay attention to all my rambling back then." Guile was amazed at how attentive Leena had been.

"But I'm not thinking about my master. In fact, I heard he put aside his training with elements to focus on something else shortly after I left.

"If not your master, then... Wait a second, are you trying to tell me you're afraid to admit your girlfriend is better with elements than you?" Leena teased.

"Don't worry about me, I'm way too swelled to pick a girlfriend who's better than me at something." Guile played along.

"You are godawful, you know that?" Leenareplied, taking offense at Guile's remark.

"Don't worry, that means you are more than a fitting candidate."

"Just when I thought you couldn't get any lower." Guile chuckled at Leena's reply.

"But if you really care to know, there's someone who can definitely use that element."

"Really? Who?" Leena's curiosity had been tickled by Guile's words.

"The almighty, one and only..." He paused for a moment in an attempt build up some tension and succeeded.

"...Guy who gave you that element." Leena's enthusiasm dropped immediately with the punch line. The girl felt rather idiot to have fallen for such a ridiculous trick and having forgotten about meeting a supernatural being so easily.

"Alright, you got me, happy now?" Leena sighed at Guile's renewed display of immaturity.

"...No, it was too easy." Leena rolled her eyes, wondering if there was hope for this magician who, apparently, refused to grow up.

"On a more serious matter now, you might think this is a ridiculous question, but..." Leena hesitated, uncertain if she really wanted to hear the answer.

Guile didn't say a word, curious as to what Leena's question could be.

"How powerful do you think he is?" Guile's brows raised in surprise.

The wizard turned his head to the side, rubbing the back of his head, actually finding Leena's question somewhat embarrassing and definitely searching for an appropriate way to answer it

"Let's see...How strong can god be...? Physically, judging by his size, I'd say he could wipe the floor with my sorry ass... As with elements, judging by the size and density of its aura, I'd say he could wipe the floor with my sorry ass. Now I'm really ashamed of myself and have lost complete confidence in my abilities. Satisfied?"

"So you're disappointed by the fact that you can't beat a god? Someday we'll have to do something about your ego before it devours you." Leena's comment had a sarcastic sound to it, but she was convinced Guile had a real problem about being overconfident sometimes...most of the time...in fact, pretty much all the time.

"Don't worry about that, this is the kind of thing that can't happen twice in a lifetime. And in case you're looking for further advice on dealing with mighty opponents, I'd say our scaly landlord wouldn't have much trouble enhancing the taste of its salad with us and honoring us by making our poor bones his very personnal toothpicks, so don't go insulting his mom in front of him..."

Having perfectly understood the wizard's approximation the first time, Leena raised an eyebrow, judging Guile's additionnal comment rather useless. She simply stared at him, hoping the rest of his speech would provide an answer as to its purpose.

"Tell you what, don't insult him at all, considering he's a god, he probably has a way of seeing and hearing everything you say, do and think, and this includes all the naughty things you imagine yourself doing at night."

Even if Leena was considered a young woman of good morals, there were a few scenes here and there she definitely would feel very uncomfortable to share, especially with a dragon god who, without a doubt, would be quick to deem her an animal unable to control its primal urges.

"Looks like you have something to feel guilty about. I didn't expect that of a chaste maiden such as you" It appeared Guile's bullet had unexpectedly struck home.

"Rest assured, you can continue to sleep at night, between those naughty thoughts of course, because Sergei-boy will be taking a trip through purgatory long before you do, and as you can he hasn't been summon to purify his soul yet."

"And I'd say he doesn't have to worry since you'll be going long before him." Leena said, sending Guile's comment right back at him.

Guile chuckled at Leena's remark, force to recognize the hormones of a male teenager were something quite hard to keep in check, skilled wizard or not.

"Say, before this conversation drifts away too much..."

"Ship already sunk." Leena cut him off.

"Yeah, I guess, anyway, new ship then. How are you doing with that CurePlus element I gave you. I suppose you've already managed to trigger it by now." Guile was eager to hear about the gifted girl's progress

Leena took a moment to reply, embarrassed at the answer she was about to give.

"To tell the truth, no, I still haven't been able to trigger it so far."

"is that so? I gotta admit I'm disappointed in you, I was expecting better of a prodigy."

"Hey, don't give me that condescending lecture, we can't all be born a master wizard, and this element is really hard, at least much harder than I expected." Considering she had been trying quite hard over the last few days, using pretty much all the free time she had to train with her latest element, Leena was rather offended by Guile's statement.

"I take that back, prodigy was definitely jazzing it up, but there's no mistaking, between the two of us, the gifted one is you."

"Yeah, right, mr. Level-six-for-warm-up." Guile chuckled at Leena's sentence, acknowledging his abilities with elements were far beyond that of an average human, but still he had never warmed up with such a powerful element.

"No, honestly, there was even a time were I was a known failure, unable to use elements at all." Guile's tone was disarmingly serious.

"You...can't be serious." Leena was beginning to feel sorry for Guile.

Thinking back Leena could easily remember what the first courses about elements she had received were like. Being gifted had made it rather easy and overally good times for her, but there were also those who had a hard time triggering level one elements. Among those was a certain blue-haired boy who had kept focusing hard on this Photon Beam element for several days before obtaining a few sparks of holy energy out of it.

Against all odds it was Leena's teachings rather than Radius' that had resulted in Serge being able to use elements. Both young ones had spent several evenings together with Leena repeating the steps to releasing the energy containd within the small bead over and over. Radius, the village leader and ex-deva, who was also responsible for introducing the kids of Arni to elements had been keeping an eye on them, and had seriously been starting to wonder if something was wrong with Wazuki's son.

Then came an evening Leena would never forget. After eleven days un unfruitful trials, Serge had started to lose hope and had threatened to simply quit element classes. That evening Serge had learned that the word _quit_ did not belong to Leena's dictionary. Leena's cheerful encouragement had boiled up into a fiery speech about how there was no such thing as someone who couldn't use elements.

Stricken with fear first to evolve into a state of anger, Serge gave the bead a strong squeeze and felt a force oppose that of his crush. White energy gathered around him from his surroundings to release that contained in the tiny sphere. Afocused stream of particles was aimed at a nearby rock of Opassa beach, leaving a fuming hole that still reminded the people of Arni how Serge had managed to deal with elements.

Once the effect had ended, both kids stared at the rock, astonished at the power Serge had just unleashed. Filled with joy at his newfound ability, Serge smile from ear to ear, his mind overflowed with pride. Leena smiled in return to seal what would be a long-lasting friendship.

"Morning! Time for breakfast!" Leena was pulled out of her reveries by Guile's waving hand.

Leena blushed, embarrassed at having neglected Guile who was still telling her his story.

"As I was saying before being so roughly interrupted, if it hadn't been for a few people who saw potential in me, I might have never learned how to use elements."

"And to think you turned out to be one of the most skillful element user I've ever seen. These people must have had tremendous knowledge of elements." Leena still had trouble believing Guile's tale.

"As a matter of fact, it is common for black and white innate to have a lot more trouble with elements than other innates. Furthermore, green and blue innates often prove to be fast-learners."

"I don't get it. Why would you and Serge have more trouble than me triggering elements?" Leena was rather confused by Guile's statement and her mind required an explanation as to this injustice.

"I'm not certain. Maybe to maintain the natural balance." Guile promply answered, even if his theory was still in progress.

"Natural balance between what?" Leena was nowhere near satisfied with Guile's incomplete answer.

"Don't tell me you've never noticed the difference of strength between the elements of the same level. It's actually quite obvious that for a same level of power, black and white elements are much more fearsome."

"What do you mean by that?" Leena couldn't help but feel targeted by Guile's model.

"Hey! Don't blame me!" Guile raised his hands in defence, letting out a nervous chuckle.

"I'm not the one responsible for this." He added.

"But still, how did you end up with skills like that?"

"Two answers: natural hidden potential and appropriate training." Guile's answer appeared too simple to explain such incredible results and resulted in a skeptical frown from Leena.

"Didn't you just say blue and green innates are the best with elements?" Once again Leena felt harmed by Guile's explanation.

"I say they were the fastest at mastering new elements, but in terms of brute, raw inner strength, black and white innates are miles ahead of the others."

"It's just like throwing a stone. The heavier one will prove way more difficult to hurl, but the damaged inflicted to the target will be much greater."

Leena's features lowered in sadness and disappointment, as if her most praised possession had just been stripped from her.

"But you shouldn't feel disappointed by this since training usually accounts for seventy-five percent of the final result, and considering humans have but a relatively short life-span, learning speed most often proves the best of assets."

Leena's mind took a moment to assimilate all this information and analyze it. In the end, she deemed that the wizard was probably right and decided to reclaim what Guile had almost taken away from her.

"What does your training routine looks like?"

"I usually start off with a few sets of Ice Lances and Cures, then singles with Aqua Balls and Ice Blasts. I normally finish with a couple attemps with the Cure Plus, but so far I've never been able to activate it." Leena had no idea what Guile's training could look like, but instinctively felt it was far beyond what she could muster.

"I see...Typical mistake. You only train with elements of your innate color, right?"

"Well, yeah, since I can use more of them than of any onther color, I get more practice in the same session." Leena was quick to stand up for her training regimen.

"You see, the problem with this is that the gap between elements increases as the level increases. In other words, it's much more challenging to go from a level three to a level four than from a level two to a level three. Cure Plus is a level five element. The gap between it and an Ice Blast is significant. What you need here is a stepping stone." Guile replied

"How can there be a stepping stone? There are no level four and a half elements, are there?" Leena found Guile's answer rather problematic.

"The other colors will easily provide with one. It's tougher for you to use a Magma Blast or an Aeroblaster than an Ice Blast, so simply train with them instead. Just do less singles with level four elements of other colors for a while, you'll be surprised by the results." Leena nodded, looking a the ground and feeling a bit stupid for never trying to this strategy.

"Here, I got another gift for you." Guile reached inside his inner shirt pocket and produced a leather pouch which contained several elements.

"These are nostrums. They're level four black healing elements." Guile handed Leena the present.

"Nostrums? I didn't even now there were black healing elements." Leena frowned as she accepted the pouch.

"They're healing elements, meaning they can't harm you nor anyone else, so feel free to go all out. You can even try to do a set instead of singles. Just one detail, they're consummables." Leena was expecting further explanation but Guile's sentence abruptly came to an end.

"Wait a minute, that means they'll never regenerate. How will I manage to achieve constancy in my training?" Leena was worried that Guile's training advice had weaknesses after all.

"Don't worry about that, by the time you've used up all of those, you'll have made noticeable progress. You'll probably be able to show that Cure Plus who's the boss." Guile's voice sounded confident and reassuring.

Leena smoothly nodded, hoping Guile's tips would soon produce results and allow her to preogress toward her goal. She paused the conversation to carefully place the pouch in her pocket.

"Well, seems like we've managed to get to the bottom of the story and managed to get everyone to live happily ever after, now how about we join the other two for lunch, I'm starving here." Hoping he could finally relieve his stomach, Guile reached for the small pile of wood and motionned to get up.

"Not so fast, here! There's still one more thing we need to discuss.

"You now, my stomach and I always had a great relationship, but I'm afraid he won't speak to me again if this conversation stretches..." Guile definitely was looking forward to the pleasant feeling of food decending down his oesophagus to appease his screaming stomach.

"This is all up to you."

The wizard's mind suddenly fired up, ready to do his best so he could be granted access to food.

"You need to dispel whatever spell, enchantment, trick, magic, element, hypnosis you used on Kid. This has gone too far, alright?" Leena's tone made it obvious the wizard would have to attempt frying fish on his own if he didn't comply, which would probably result in a a small pile of ashes.

"I'm afraid this answer could lower my chances of eating tonight, but this isn't of my resort."

"What's that supposed to mean, not of your resort? You made her like that, now you make her normal again, or you'll have to explain to that stomach of yours that he'll have to make do with these dry branches."

Guile silently thanked the Dragon Gods they weren't married or getting access to food would turn him into a circus animal who performs tricks to earn every bite.

"Look, all I did earlier was to amplify my voice and make my eyes a little shiny to inspire a little respect in her so she wouldn't get us devoured with that nasty habit of being overly talkative." Guile feared his answers wouldn't be enough to shorten the argument.

"You inspired her to become some sort of ground-moping zombie. We can't leave her like that." Leena crossed her arms over her chest, indicating Guile still hadn't convinced her to provide lunch for the group.

"Her state of mind, I have to admit, is worrying, but the trick I used on her does not have any lasting effects, in other words, she isn't under the influence of any elements or anything at all. If we're to cheer her up, we'll have to figure out what's bothering her to the point of ceasing to make fun of me. And I'm convinced we can achieve this while eating, so let's not wait for whatever Serge caught to rot under our noses." With this Guile walked past Leena, demonstrating he was done with this conversation and the time had come to satisfy their appetites.

"But I've tried and..."

"You know, I'll be honest, I once turned a piece of meat into a pond of magma, but you're really leaving me no choice, if you refuse to use your skills, I'll have to make do with mine." Somehow, the balance of power had been reversed and Leena felt her advantage slip between her fingers.

Leena sighed, signalling she admitted defeat and followed Guile back to their encampment, forced to admit that she, too, was starving to death.

Termina, another world, 1020 A.D.

The sky over the El Nido archipelago was dark and the sound of a soft breeze mixed with those of the citizens of the city as they enjoyed the late hours of the festival. Yet, in a room of the Coral Harbor inn there were two men who had their minds on something that had nothing to do with the ongoing celebration.

One was lazily sitting in a chair, busy socketing a leather belt with elements. Even though an eye-patch revealed he could no longer resort to his left eye, he had little difficulty estimating the distances and expertly squeezed the beads into the openings. His comrade, a man whose appearance could easily lead one to believe he had spent the last hundred years buried in a coffin, was resting at a wooden table covered with maps. To his left were scrolls that had been drawn long ago on large sheets of paper that had been turned a moldy yellow by time's work. To his right were fresh pieces of paper the man had carefully designed over the past few weeks.

"Honestly, I don't see why we should bother so much with diplomacy." The youngest man nonchalantly questionned, eyes still glued to his work.

"Ha, so much for one who likes to refer to himself as an enlightened one. Sheer, brute force led you to failure in the past, didn't it? Besides, we're not talking about diplomacy here, this is more like an underhanding way of handling things." The elder replied, looking up but not turning his head.

"I never grasped what the difference was anyway." The brown-haired man said, grabbing several shiny beads from a pouch.

"Simple..." The snake-faced man paused to pick up a pencil and a pair of compasses.

"Diplomats plot to achieve nothing, we're plotting to gather enough energy to attain...immortality." The elder turned to give his fellow-man a wicked grin.

"Even if we could retrieve the energy tapped by the ocean palace and the mammon machine which contained the cores, we're still short of a device that would imbue all this energy into a revive element to augment it, a source of energy as important as Lavos and some of those who contritubed to activate the palace." The one-eyed argued.

"Why don't you open your _eye_ for once?" The elder's comment earned him an offended frown from his associate.

"We're way closer to our goal than you might imagine: According to those maps I've drawn and those ancient references, the sunken kingdom of Zeal is located within this archipelago."

"That's great news, except we're, as of now, uncertain wether they're still in working order." The man in the chair stated.

"It wasn't called the ocean palace to sound cute, its name implies it was designed to endure complete flooding. I'm positive they can functionnate again, all we need to do it re-activate them."

"Except I have no idea how we'll manage to get our hands on that old fossil and the princess. They were lost in time warps and none of us knows how to reach them. Hell, we don't even have a clue as to what time period they ended up in."

"There is, however, someone, or rather, something that knows very well what happened to them: it's a shiny green pyramid-shaped object." The elder turned around and raised his eyebrows as he set the riddle.

"Yeah, of course, the records of fate see and know everything but we can't decipher the information encrypted within them." Done with his task, the man held up his arms to admire and review his work and make sure all the elements were properly laid out.

The old man smirked and pulled a scroll from his cassok. He tossed it to his companion who easily caught it with one hand. The one-eyed then proceeded to unroll the piece of paper and before his eyes appeared what he understood were instructions to dismantle a record of fate and read the information it contained. He slowly lowered the scroll, unable to believe what he had just acquired.

"Where on earth did you get this?" He questionned, expecting the answer to be something along the lines of a deal with the devil.

"If I'm not mistaken, those were drawn by an acquaintance of yours, a certain Doctor Lucca Ashtear."

The man with the eye-patch stared emptily at his elder, focusing on his memories, and was reminisced of a girl with purple hair and thick glasses. He blinked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"The four eyes..." He whispered to himself.

"I believe a man who has studied the records of fate extensively and has knowledge in engineering can understand most of it, am I right?" He asked, confident of the answer he would obtain.

"Well, yeah, most of it, but these are incomplete." He answered, taking a look at the big picture of the complex drawings and formulas.

The one-eyed man was in awe at the documents he held in his very hands. For years he had tried to decipher the complex mechanisms of the Records of Fate and here some teenager had apparently solved the puzzle.

"So, is your ego ever going to recover from getting outsmarted by a technocratic brat?" The aged man mocked.

"I gotta admit that brat had some brain, no wonder so many people were after her. Knowledge is power, and in her case it's oligarchic matter...But I will say for my own defense, she didn't come up with this all by herself, she was helped by a good friend of us. Say what you like about me being left with a single eye, but this eye is as sharp as ever. Didn't you notice those two symbols in the lower right corner? They're the signatures of the authors. One is Ashtear's mark and the author is the symbol of the guru of reason."

"Yeah, that old fool was also quite skilled with technology..." The balding man nonchalently commented..."

Silence naturally installed itself as one returned to his maps and the other devoured the work in front of him with immense interest and a growing envy of the authors's talent.

"Damn... it's the dead sea..." The elder murmured to himself.

"What was that?" The other inquired, still absorbed by the map before him.

"I should have known, they're in the dead sea, or rather they're the dead sea." The undead-looking man explained.

"Then we'll just get the ruins of the ocean palace out of this dead sea." His mate replied, not impressed.

"You have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" The elder's tone indicated he didn't appreciate his comrade's nonchalance.

"Its name comes from the deadly corals that surround the place, their bare touch causes the tissues to necrotise. A thick mantle of clouds shrouds the location, preventing any observation from above. Only one man was ever known to come back alive from this place...if one may call his current state being alive."

"I know who you're talking about. It's that demi-human, the one who got rid of Ashtear twelve years ago... The plague bearer... His soul was consummed by the Tesseract." He said, grimly.

"Oh, aren't you a little harsh, after all he was once human..." The elder replied, faking sympathy.

"And he agreed to sell Ashtear's work to us. A pretty decent folk after all." He said, letting out an evil laughter.

"Anyway, this doesn't help us much. We have to access this place and meeting the same fate as that Lynx isn't exactly appealing..."

"Well, glad we finally see eye to eye, but now I'm rather tired. I will get some rest." The elder left for his bed, leaving the other alone with his new treasure.

As he stared at the blueprint before him the one-eyed couldn't help but remember what the youngest of the authors of the document was when he actually met her. His first thought was that she had to be a messenger from the devil, sent from the depths of hell to slaughter his ideals and prove how useless the years he had spent working like a slave to achieve results that couldn't hold a candle to those of a teenager had been.

He let himself drown into jealousy and anger and cursed the resemblance with the gurus she displayed. Their condescension and petty ideals had succeeded in driving him to insanity...but now it seemed he finally had the upper hand.

With Ashtear out of commission and the gurus scattered through time and space, the alliance was broken and a the dawn of a new era had come, or rather the resurrection of an era he had longed for in the darkness for countless years. And the best part was that the queen had perished on the battlefield, making him sole heir of the legacy of Zeal.

He walked over to the table and carefully placed the relic on the wooden surface before placing his own work next to it. His ego would probably never forgive him for cheating by looking at the copy of a four-eyed brat but this was the price to pay to bring justice to himself.

Oblivious to his partner's loud snoring he sent himself to work, determined to go all the way through this even if it meant he wouldn't sleep a wink until the morning.

Water Dragon Isle, home world, 1020 A.D.

"No, give me back sis, you monster..." She managed to articulate through much coughing cause by the smoke, reaching with her little hand.

Her action only earned her a cold stare from the feline demi-human who effortlessly carried the body of a young woman on his left shoulder and another intruder dressed as a harlequin. Blatently ignoring the child's plea, the demi-human and his companion turned to the blocked door, which he forced open with a powerful mule kick before escaping into the night.

* * *

Serge's tired eyes slowly opened as struggling noises pulled him from his much-needed rest. He turned without a noise in his sleeping bag to see what the source of the noise was and he spotted Kid who was twisting and turning in her sleep while waving her arms in the air as if trying to smack an invisible opponent.

Careful not to wake the others the teenager crept up to the troubled thief and stared at her for a few minutes, expecting her to wake up by herself soon. Hesitant, Serge then patted Kid's shoulder in an attempt to set her free of her nightmare. For a second the girl appeared to have found inner peace again but blinked a few times and turned her head upon getting a glimpse pf a shadow on her side.

Startled, Kid let out a gasp which initiated the same reaction from Serge.

"Geez, mate do you always spy on sleeping girls like that? Yur a twisted one, y'know." She said in an irritated tone.

"Uh, sorry, it seemed you were having a nightmare, so I thought I..." Serge wasn't sure how to finish his sentence to he simply aborted it.

Kid then remembered the visions she was having a moment ago and rubbed her eyes before sitting up.

"Well, sorry to have woken you up, be since we're both awake, how about a talk?"

"God damn, don't tell me you've been peeping on me waiting for the moment when those two would be asleep to tell me dirty things." Kid's voice didn't contain an ounce of cheerfulness, but that didn't bother Serge.

"Hey, cut the faking now, we gotta talk about your mood."

"Oh, you mean the grounchiness after you've woken me in the middle of the night for no reason at all?" She grumbled.

Serge gave Kid a pissed look and got up. On his way to some boulders he turned his head to gesture for his friend to follow him. Kid sighed and resigned herself to leave the coziness of her pillow.

She reached a rock near Serge, sat on it, crossed her arms and waited for Serge to start what she feared would be a painful conversation, staring at her companion with the corner of her eye.

"So, what's with the sudden I-don't feel-like-teasing-you-anymore-mate mood?"

Kid lowered her gaze and remained silent.

"Look, we've all offered you to help you, but it's quite hard if you refuse to say anything about what's bothering you."

"I really don't think it's a good idea to talk about this now." She said, turning her gaze away from Serge.

"Is that so? Well, I don't mind waiting, this rock's actually quite comfortable, y'know." Serge said in a stubborn tone, crossing his arms and his right leg over his left knee.

Ignoring Kid's silence, Serge gazed at the starry sky and enjoyed breathing the cool air of the night.

Throwing a quick look at her friend, Kid's mind was grazed by the thought that she might have been a burden to him as of lately. For someone who had spent most of her life alone fearing to become dependant of another, this idea tasted most bittersweet.

"I..." She awkwardly began

"I was an orphan. As far as I can remember I never knew my real parents. Then, someone took me in and raised me as if I were her own little sister..." Kid's throat tightened, momentarily keeping her from forming words.

Serge returned his gaze to Kid, giving her all his attention.

"It's because of her that I'm still alive today, there were other kids at sis's place. She was some sort of inventor, she built strange new stuff that no one understood but her and a weird old man who visited from time to time. We didn't have any money, but we lacked nothing to be happy..." Kid's features turned to a bitter expression.

"Then he came and ruined everything. That Lynx bastard burned our house and kidnapped sis... The others there, they didn't survive...I'm not sure how I managed to make it alive, but somehow I'm here today..."

Serge nodded, acknowledging Kid's desire for revenge.

"Sis never came back and I've been on my own until the day I met the radical dreamers..." Kid noticed the puzzled look on Serge's face.

"Oi, yeah, I never mentionned them either, did I? They're a bunch of thieves. They taught me everything they knew about thievery, how to survive in the wilderness on your own and a bunch of toher things like elements and stuff..."

"But, whatever happened to them, why did you leave?" Serge asked.

"I'm not gonna lie to you mate, they sure taught me how to fish for myself but the facts remain, they're blood starved crooks and no merry-go-lucky happy family. If ya ask them for help they'll most likely kick yur sorry arse until you learned to defend yourself. In a place like that ya quickly realize that it's only those who don't think anything of hurtin' others who get a blood-stained fortunes. Those who survive are the ones who kill, murder, steal, devour everything that stands in their way..."

Serge was astounded by Kid's tale. Sure he didn't expect her past to be that of a little princess, but still...

"Y'know, after that I didn't care that much about the rotten hand I had been dealt, if I could get that Lynx for what he did, I'd have proven that dragon gods or angels watching over you is a load of bullshit, all ya gotta do is get off yer arse and do whatever ya gotta do to get by and achieve yur goals." It seemed that Kid's own words had brought a momentary raise of spirit.

"But the truth is, dragon gods...do exist..." Kid had to struggle just to get those two words out.

"...Yeah, so?"

"Oi, damn it mate, are you just dumb? Don't tell me you haven't realized we're sorta in the same boat here. You too have been drawn away from your people by this wormhole thing. I, it's those dragon gods that have orchestrated all this... They're gods, they must be almighty... Hell, what am I saying, of course they are, surely you felt that giant monster's radiating strength too. It was beyond everything I experienced before. I could have taken on that Lynx anytime, but if it's these dragons that are behind all this, it won't matter 'cuz even if I tear apart the bastard's limbs, they'll prolly regrow or something... No one can fight against a god Serge, so now you see why I'm in a real jam here..."

Something in Kid's words got a chuckle out of Serge.

"Oi, ye find that funny?"

"No, but you said it yourself, we're in the same boat. Just to think up to now you've been kicking my butt all the time calling me a wuss and whatnot and now you're stuck just because we might be facing gods?" Serge smile at Kid, full of confidence.

"Oi, did ya hit yur head or something mate?" Kid was definitely starting to question Serge's sanity.

"It's more like something hit me recently. You see, maybe every life is an extraordinary adventure unlike every other, or maybe we're just tiny ants belonging to a colony and ready to be squashed by that superlizard's paws... The truth is, it doesn't matter. There's no point obsessing over something you can't control, right? I have not a glimpse of an idea what awaits me in Fort Dragonia, but I feel that if I go there, I'll get answers. True, I could die tomorrow, but I'd rather figure out this puzzle or die trying than remain stuck in it forever not knowing why everyone here calls me a ghost."

"Magi-boy, get out of that body." Kid said flatly.

"So you see, you can either remain here, afraid of that dragon and never know what happened the night your sister disappeared, or take the risk of dying in an effort to achieve your goal. I'm not gonna tell you what to do, but my decision is made, and I'm going to Fort Dragonia, no matter how foolish or insane it might be."

Kid crossed her arms once more, staring at Serge's back as he was returning to their encampment, still very much confused and plagued by uncertainty.

"Well, good night.... I know you got a lot on your mind right now, but try to get some sleep too, we'll be leaving early in the morning."

Kid barely looked up at her companion, clearly stating she was old enough to set her own sleep hours.


End file.
